Economic and Financial Affairs Council

Romania is ready to work at a sustained pace during the negotiations on the future European budget for 2021-2027, so that an agreement to be reached by the end of this year, Minister of Finance, Eugen Teodorovici, said in a release sent to AGERPRES on Saturday.

Finance Minister and EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) President Vladislav Goranov will represent the Council of the European Union at the first meeting of the Ministers of Finance and Central Bank Governors on 19-20 March at the G20 meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This was announced by the press center of the  Ministry of Finance.

Athens is feeling the pressure rising after the EuroGroup meeting failed to produce any results, with talks continuing in Brussels between Greece and its lenders.

The 28 EU Finance Ministers have essentially given their approval of the deal reached between Greece and the Quartet paving the way for the agreement to pass on to a political agreement with EU countries to bring the deal for ratification in their national parliaments.

The European Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin) has approved a 7.16 bln-Euro bridge loan to Greece, which will allow the crisis battered country to cover its overdue debt obligations over the next 3 months to the IMF, the Bank of Greece and the ECB.

German FinMin Wolfgang Schaeuble mentioned the clime during yesterday’s Eurogroup.

In statements he made during the Ecofin council, Mr. Schaeuble stated that “the clime is better” as far as talks went, but added that “I cannot say the same about substance”.

He added that “the IMF must remain in the Greek aid program”.

In his interview to German newspaper "Der Standard" the German Minister of Finance Wolfgang Schauble stated that the Greek Government must explain to its citizens that the country's problems are not attributable to Brussels or Berlin.

If Athens does not proceed with the necessary reforms the markets will lose confidence in the country, Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem warned on Tuesday on the sidelines of an Ecofin meeting in Brussels.

An Ecofin meeting was completed in Brussels on Tuesday without any mention of the possibility of an agreement between the Greek government and the country's Euro zone partners.

 Finance Minister says no date has been set to discuss the lightening and sustainability of country’s arrears

By Eleni Varvitsioti