Draghi, Juncker hold \\\'constructive talks\\\' on European economy

FRANKFURT, Aug 6 (Reuters): European Central Bank President Mario Draghi held talks with incoming European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday, against the backdrop of a debate among euro zone policymakers about their fiscal rules.

"It was a constructive exchange of views on the current state of the European economy," an ECB spokesman said after the meeting in Luxembourg.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has been leading calls to move from austerity to looser EU budget rules. His country holds the EU's rotating presidency for the second half of this year and is trying to secure influence over the new European Commission, to be led by Juncker.

Draghi, who brought the euro zone back from the brink of break-up in 2012 with his pledge to do "whatever it takes" to save the euro, has called on countries to respect the EU's Fiscal Compact on reducing public debt.

In a speech in London last month, the ECB president appeared to push back against Renzi's calls for flexibility, arguing that fiscal rules should not be viewed as a "painful accounting exercise."