(L-R): Pierre Gramegna and Paschal Donohoe, Minister of Finance of Ireland and President of the Eurogroup;
Credit: MinFin
On Friday and Saturday 21 and 22 May 2021, Luxembourg's Finance Minister, Pierre Gramegna, attended the Eurogroup meeting and the informal Ecofin summit in Lisbon which was held to discuss the post-pandemic period.
At the Eurogroup, the finance ministers mainly discussed issues related to the post-COVID recovery of the Eurozone. Minister Gramegna clearly set his priority: "The most important thing is a green, digital and qualitative recovery for Europe in a spirit of solidarity." The Finance Minister was optimistic in view of positive economic figures in Europe. The economic consequences of the pandemic were also the focus of the Ecofin working sessions, during which ministers discussed monetary and fiscal policy during the pandemic and post-pandemic period. The Finance Ministers finally had an exchange of views on environmental taxation, during which Minister Gramegna stressed the importance of the tax system becoming greener, while recalling that sustainable finance is a key instrument to accompany the EU's ambitions in the ecological transition.
On the fringes of the meetings, Minister Gramegna took part in a BeNeuLx meeting with his Belgian and Dutch counterparts to discuss issues of common interest. In addition to exchanges with the ministers and governors of the central banks, he had a meeting with the President of the Eurogroup and Irish Finance Minister, Paschal Donohoe.
Lisbon is the venue because Portugal currently holds the EU Council Presidency. The meetings take place in Lisbon's Belém Cultural Centre, which is the logistical centre of the Portuguese Presidency until the end of next month. Minister Gramegna stressed the long-standing relations between the two countries. "Today we are celebrating 130 years of diplomatic relations. So I am very happy to be in Portugal," he underlined. He continued: "It's the first Eurogroup and Ecofin meeting with physical presence since our meeting in Berlin last September. I am confident that the meetings will continue in this format from June onwards and in Luxembourg."
