The finance ministers of the European Union's six biggest economies said Friday they had agreed on steps to better integrate financial markets and make investments flow seamlessly across the bloc.
In a statement issued after a meeting in Berlin, the finance ministers of Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain -- the so-called "E6" -- said they supported transferring more supervisory responsibility to the Paris-based European Securities and Markets Authority.
Some smaller EU states such as Ireland and Luxembourg had expressed reservations.
The EU has been trying for years to bring together its fragmented capital markets, in a bid to provide better investments for EU citizens and unlock more capital for the bloc's businesses.
The idea languished for years amid bickering between member states, but has been given added impetus as Chinese industry races ahead and ties with the United States sour under President Donald Trump.
