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"The situation concerning the US fiscal deficit and debt is a very serious one, and the Republicans and the Democrats do not seem to be making much progress on an agreement [on the deficit]," Rehn said at a Financial Times Deutschland Banking event.
"Some small steps have been taken but nothing fundamental [...] I hope it finds a deal sooner than later because it has an real monetary impact on the whole world economy and certainly Europe."
"But at this stage it is difficult to be excessively optimistic over such a deal in the short term," Rehn added, quoted by Reuters.
Fukushima fall out
Global media report that for the first time this year, the economy slowed in several US regions in the spring. High gas prices weakened consumer spending, and the Japan crisis reduced manufacturing output.
In the meantime, rating agency Fitch said that the US would risk losing its top credit rating if it was unable to make payments on its debt and encountered a "technical" default.
St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard told Reuters on Wednesday that if not handled correctly, the US debt situation could turn into "a global macro shock".
"The reverberations in those global markets would be very severe. That's where the real risk comes in," Bullard warned.
According to economists, problems would aggravate if Congress and President Barack Obama are unable to agree on budget cuts that the Republican majority in the House of Representatives want in order to raise the 14.3 trillion-dollar debt limit.
Obama is trying to win congressional approval to raise the nation's legal debt ceiling before a 2 August deadline.
The Treasury Department said on Wednesday the Fitch warning was "another stark reminder" of the need for Congress to act quickly.
EurActiv with Reuters
