German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaueble wants to let Southern European countries borrow from the eurozone bailout fund to strengthen the European Union. According to an Aug 22 story by German newspaper Bild, Schaueble said he is working on a proposal to let eurozone members borrow from the bloc's permanent bailout fund, known as the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), to boost investment during recession. But in exchange for access to ESM money, eurozone countries would have to give the mechanism more say over their domestic finances — which most will be reluctant to do. There are two main goals behind Schaueble's plans: To make the European Union more independent from foreign institutions including the International Monetary Fund, especially during times of crisis, and to better enforce deficit and debt rules.