Post of European affairs minister to be scrapped

The three centre-right parties who are holding talks on establishing a coalition government have agreed to scrap the post of European affairs minister. A group of experts which is hammering out a common foreign policy line arrived at the conclusion that the portfolio could be handled by a deputy foreign minister. With the need to cut costs in the public sector, the parties are proposing various mergers to save money. For instance, Public Affairs has suggested merging the interior and defence ministries into a ministry for national security matters.