Draghi steps up push for economic union ECB president Mario Draghi Mario Draghi has stepped up his push for Brussels to set the rules on member states" economic policies, saying fears of a eurozone break-up would persist until the EU was handed sweeping powers to control countries" fiscal policies and reform efforts. The remarks are the boldest call yet by the European Central Bank president for decision-making in the single currency area to be wrested out of the hands of national governments. They also highlight the ECB's concerns that inaction by lawmakers will undermine its efforts to stave off economic stagnation. Mr Draghi said in Helsinki on Thursday that doubts about the viability of the euro would be allayed only once an "economic and fiscal union" was in place. The centralisation of monetary policy was not enough because each strand of decision-making "interacts with and strengthens the other." Fiscal union needed to go beyond the EU's existing budget rules, which underpin the stability and growth pact, to stop measures taken at the national level from undermining the health of the currency area. "The importance of each country sticking to its commitments under the stability and growth pact should therefore be beyond debate," he said. Indeed, that a sound fiscal framework is necessary in a monetary union goes without saying. Whether it is sufficient to safeguard fiscal policy as a stabilisation tool, however, has been challenged by our experience during the crisis. Echoing earlier remarks made in London and Jackson Hole, Mr Draghi said: "There is a strong case for sovereignty over relevant policies to be exercised jointly. That means above all structural reforms. Mr Draghi's calls for centralised control of structural reforms could ease the pressure on the ECB from Germany, as the central bank moves closer to a politically contentious decision on whether to buy government debt. Berlin is likely to welcome the calls as it fears member states could abuse the reduction in sovereign bond yields from quantitative easing to backtrack on earlier commitments to reshape their economies. Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, made a similar push for more centralisation of powers ahead of May's EU parliamentary election, but failed to gain any support from her fellow eurozone leaders. Diplomats said these difficulties reflected a growing political fatigue over eurozone governance reform. People briefed on the thinking of Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, said he is lukewarm at making another push for more concentration of fiscal powers in Brussels at next month's summit. Although Mr Juncker has supported further integration of the eurozone as part of his new agenda, officials said any push for new fiscal rules will probably have to wait. Mr Juncker's position will disappoint Mr Draghi and other senior ECB officials, who have insisted the central bank's efforts to spur a recovery will fall short if Paris and Rome fail to reshape their economies. The ECB has also hinted that Germany spend more, a suggestion that angered the government in Berlin. Monetary policy makers will decide on whether to embark on mass sovereign bond-buying in the first quarter of 2015. But the ECB president and other members of the central bank's governing council have hinted that they would rather act in tandem with governments. Additional reporting by Peter Spiegel.