At the invitation of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Minister of Finance, Gilles Roth, attended the meetings of the Eurogroup and the Informal Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) in Ghent from 23 to 24 February 2024.
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(fr. l. to r.) Gilles Roth, Minister of Finance and Vincent van Peteghem Belgian Minister of Finance
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(fr. l. to r.) Mairead McGuinness European Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union and Gilles Roth Minister of Finance
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(fr. l. to r.) Paschal Donohoe President of the Eurogroup and Gilles Roth Minister of Finance
In an open format, the Eurogroup ministers began by discussing the draft Capital Markets Union declaration. Discussions then focused on macroeconomic developments and the economic outlook for the eurozone.
Organised into different "working sessions" over two days, the ECOFIN ministers first discussed the strategic direction of the European Investment Bank (EIB). As current Chairman of the EIB's Board of Governors, Minister Van Peteghem led the debate on the Group's future. The new President of the EIB, Nadia Calviño, then presented her vision for the future of the EU's public lender and largest multilateral bank.
In a second session, discussions focused on the future of the Capital Markets Union, with particular emphasis on education and financial inclusion. Improving financial education was already one of the priorities of the Capital Markets Union action plan. The second anniversary of the war in Ukraine was commemorated with a minute's silence.
The following day, the debates focused on ECOFIN's contribution to the future European Commission's agenda on the competitiveness of the European Union.
On the fringes of these events, Finance Minister Gilles Roth held a bilateral meeting with Mairead McGuinness, European Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union.
Press release by the Ministry of Finance