Informal Ministerial Meeting on Economic and Financial Affairs (ECOFIN), 4 – 5 April 2008

During the Slovenian Presidency, the informal meeting of EU Finance Ministers (Informal ECOFIN or Economic and Financial Affairs Council) will take place on 4 and 5 April 2008 at Brdo pri Kranju. The informal meeting of the ECOFIN Council will begin in the morning on 4 April 2008 and it will end after lunch on 5 April 2008.

 As usual, the meeting will be attended by Member State Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. In addition to the usual topics, which include the economic and financial situation in the EU and preparations for the spring meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the ministers and governors will focus on two areas:

1. Financial stability in the European Union - the informal Ecofin meeting will look at financial sector supervision and crisis management mechanisms and analyse current trends on international capital markets. The ministers and central bank governors are expected to adopt an amendment to the 2005 Agreement which will contain general principles, practical guidelines for crisis management and an analytical framework for preparing responses;
2. Quality of public finances - the meeting participants will focus in particular on the efficiency of public spending on social transfers.

• Quality of public finances: increasing the efficiency of social transfers in the EU
• The preparation of the Spring IMF Meeting
• EU financial markets infrastructures
• Slovenian Presidency on supervision and crisis management
• Memorandum of Understanding on co-operation between the Financial Supervisory Authorities, Central Banks and Finance Ministries of the European Union on cross-border financial stability
• Statement of Ministers and Governors on the ongoing tensions in international financial markets and the appropriate policy response