Finance ministers from the PES family today discussed measures for bridging social and economic inequalities and strengthening convergence in the EU. They also highlighted the need for a swift implementation of a European deposit guarantee.
Pier Carlo Padoan, Italian Finance Minister and chair of the PES ECOFIN Ministers’ Network, commented after the meeting: ‘The Commission reflection paper offers a good basis for discussion on the future of the EMU. Many elements that we have been discussing in our network are taken into consideration such as: bridging social and economic inequalities, promoting investment strategies and social and economic convergence. We also welcome the reference to completing the Banking Union with a guarantee for deposits, a backstop in case of bank resolution, and measures for promoting financial stability and solvency by cleaning bank balance sheets. We look forward to further discussing the creation of a Eurozone Budget – an issue that our political family has called for since the start of the debate on the EMU.’
The meeting was also attended by:
- Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Finance Minister, The Netherlands
- Ricardo Mourinho Félix, State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Portugal
- Ionut Misa, Finance Minister, Romania
- Karolina Ekholm, State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Sweden
- Pierre Moscovici, Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs
- Maria Joao Rodrigues, Vice President of the S&D Group in the European Parliament
- Udo Bullmann, Vice President of the S&D Group in the European Parliament
- Roberto Gualtieri, Chair of the ECON Committee in the European Parliament
- Pervenche Beres, S&D Coordinator for the ECON Committee in the European Parliament
- Yonnec Polet, Deputy Secretary General, PES
