Hatzidakis in Brussels for Eurogroup and ECOFIN meetings

National Economy and Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis will visit Brussels to take part in the Eurogroup and ECOFIN meetings on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

At the Eurogroup meeting on Monday, the ministers are expected to adopt a joint declaration on the competitiveness of the European economy.

The agenda also includes a discussion on the eurozone's banking system and the main challenges it is facing, the monitoring of the progress in the Capital Markets Union and an assessment of the latest macroeconomic developments and prospects, with an emphasis on inflation.

At the ECOFIN meeting on Tuesday, the Council will seek political agreement on the VAT legislative package in the digital age. Additionally, the ministers will be briefed on the implementation course of the Recovery Fund and will approve the reviewed national plans of the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. The agenda also includes discussions on the fiscal aspects of Mario Draghi's report on the competitiveness of the European economy, on the economic impact of the war in Ukraine and on the findings of the annual report of the European Fiscal Council. At the same time, it is expected that the Council conclusions regarding EU statistics for 2024 will be approved.

Additionally, the established ministerial dialogue between the EU and the countries of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) will be held in the context of ECOFIN.

On the sidelines of the meetings, Hatzidakis will have meetings with European officials