EURO ZONE

Europe Ponders ‘Fiscal Union’

As stocks drop Monday.

Hard times bring people together. That idea may be put to the test in Europe, as leaders in euro countries contemplate a transnational finance ministry—once thought a pipe dream—as stocks slipped for the fourth day in a row Monday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is leading her country in support of a powerful new European finance ministry that would have direct influence over national budgets. The German leader has become more aggressive after her plans for a “fiscal compact” faltered. “The fundamental question is relatively simple,” one German government official told Reuters. “Do our partners really want more Europe, or do they just want more German money?”