The ministers emphasized the importance of implementing an ambitious Investment Strategy for Europe based on both private and public investments, with a clear political direction able to foster sustainable economic growth and create new and decent jobs. They also reviewed their assessments over fiscal policy, pursuing a common agenda on structural reforms that can enhance the economy promoting new investment tools and continuing the efforts to tackle tax evasion and avoidance.
The meeting was chaired by the Lithuanian Finance Minister Rimantas Šadžius who stated: “The EU needs a deeper political commitment to successfully address the challenges of the crisis. We must foster investment to promote sustainable economic growth and job creation. The European Union must use all the tools it has at its disposal to deliver better living conditions and a better future to all Europeans. We have high expectations that the new Commission will work to reach a sustainable and growth oriented policy mix that will increase European prosperity”.
The meeting was also attended by Finnish Finance Minister Antti Rinne, Swedish Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson, Luxembourgish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economy and Trade Etienne Schneider, Maltese Finance Minister Edward Scicluna, Romanian Finance Minister Ioana Petrescu, Croatian Deputy Finance Minister Igor Rađenović, Slovakian State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Vazil Hudak, S&D Member of the European Parliament Maria Joao Rodrigues, and Deputy Secretary General of the PES Yonnec Polet.