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Dutch minister appointed president of Eurogroup
Dutch minister appointed president of Eurogroup
News article
| January 22, 2013
Minister of Finance Jeroen Dijsselbloem, 46, has been appointed president of the Eurogroup, the informal administrative body of the states of the Eurozone. ‘It’s a great honour for me to be given this job, particularly in these difficult economic times for the eurozone.’
In this important position Mr Dijsselbloem will strive to ‘restore confidence
in the euro and the eurozone’. He has hinted at an ambitious programme. ‘Tough
decisions will have to be made in the future, at both national and European
level.’ The new president of the Eurogroup believes that budgetary discipline
and the stimulation of economic growth should go hand in hand.
Mr Dijsselbloem succeeds Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourger who has held
the position since 2005. Mr Dijsselbloem will remain the Netherlands’ finance
minister during his tenure as president. State Secretary for Finance Frans
Weekers will represent the Netherlands at Eurogroup meetings. In the Eurogroup
the member states of the eurozone coordinate their fiscal and economic policy.
The purpose of these monthly meetings is to strengthen the stability of the
eurozone.