Good morning. Thirsty for good news? Here’s some: Germany’s finance minister has got behind the idea of shifting power upwards to the EU financial regulator. “The goal of . . . a more resilient Europe is, for me, more important than clinging to national interests,” Lars Klingbeil said. Much more of this will be needed to fix Europe’s competitiveness problem in finance and elsewhere, but every journey starts with one step. Email us: unhedged@ft.com.

Friday Interview: Charles Goodhart

Charles Goodhart, born in 1936, is one of the leading economists of his generation. He worked at the Bank of England from 1968-1985 and served as an inaugural member of its Monetary Policy Committee from 1997-2000. From 1985-2002, he was a professor at the London School of Economics, where he helped to set up the Financial Markets Group. Over a light lunch and chocolate Magnums in his home this week, he spoke to Unhedged about demographics, public finances and monetary policy. The text has been edited for clarity and brevity.