Agenda Ecofin: euro, Stabiliteitspact, Lissabon, vermindering EU-bureaucratie voor bedrijven, EU-budget 2003, begrotingstekort Hongarije (en)

maandag 7 maart 2005

EUROGROUP

Eurogroup ministers will meet at 17:00 hrs on Monday 7 March. Commission President Jose-Manuel Barroso i and Economic Affairs Commissioner Joaquín Almunia i will attend.

The meeting will start with a short exchange of views on the recent macro-economic economic developments following presentations by Commissioner Almunia and ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet i. Ministers will then discuss the Commission's recommendation of 16 February for a Council opinion on the updated stability programme of Spain ( IP/05/183 ). In preparation for the Brussels Spring European Council, ministers are also expected to have a short exchange of views on the Lisbon strategy and the 2005 Broad Economic Policy Guidelines (BEPGs). Finally, the Eurogroup ministers will resume their discussions on the review of the Stability and Growth Pact with a view to present a political compromise on the matter to the March 22-23 Spring Council. President Barroso, who will address the meeting, is expected to call for a renewed commitment to the Lisbon strategy on growth and employment as well to encourage an agreement on the SGP that improves budgetary discipline, increases the Pact's economic rationale and contributes to more economic growth in the euro zone.

ECOFIN COUNCIL

The European Union's Council of Economics and Finance Ministers will start at 09.30 hrs on Tuesday 8 March. The European Commission will be represented at the Council by Commissioner Almunia and by Administrative affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud Vice-President Siim Kallas.

Application of the Stability and Growth Pact

  • Assessment of the updated stability and convergence programmes

The Council is expected to give its opinion on the third series of updated stability/convergence programmes on the basis of recommendations put forward by the Commission on 16 February for Spain, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovenia and the United Kingdom (see IP/05/183 ).

  • Application of the ongoing excessive deficit procedures

The Council is expected to adopt the Commission recommendation of 16 February to issue new recommendations for Hungary, in accordance with Article 104.7 of the Treaty, to correct its excessive deficit in line with the country's own revised multi-annual convergence programme (see IP/05/184 ).

Preparation of the European Council (22-23 March 2005)

  • Broad Economic Policy Guidelines and Lisbon Strategy

On 17 February, the Ecofin held a discussion on a Key Issues Paper which provides input for the political guidance from the Spring European Council to the new set of BEPGs and clarifies a number of issues related to the role of the Ecofin on the BEPGs and multilateral surveillance. The Ministers are expected to adopt this Paper in preparation of the Spring European Council of 22 and 23 March (see IP/05/100 ).

  • Reform of the Growth and Stability Pact

Ministers are expected to conclude their discussions on the review of the Stability and Growth Pact and to reach a compromise which would be submitted to the European Council of 22-23 March (see IP/04/1062 and Commissioner Almunia's speech at the German Chamber of Commerce on 2 March in Berlin - SPEECH/05/128 Stabilitätspakt - Quo vadis?)

  • Implementation of European Action for Growth

In March 2004, the Ecofin Council invited the Commission to coordinate the national contributions to the European Growth Initiative so as to ensure complementarity, to monitor their implementation and to report the Ecofin Council. The Commission will present a report which is a synthesis of the responses of the Member States to a questionnaire sent out in early January. The Ministers are expected to agree conclusions and to report to the Spring Council on the subject.

Reduction of the administrative burden on enterprises

The issue of administrative costs arising from reporting and information obligations laid down by legislation has gained increasing attention. The Commission is committed to exploring how to improve the measurement of administrative burdens in its impact assessment and simplification tools. The Commission is also exploring the possibility of a common approach to administrative burdens at the EU level (pilot projects launched in 2005 which could be used selectively for assessing individual pieces of EU legislation whilst such a method could not be envisaged, at this stage, for broader measurement exercises).

General Budget of the European Union

- Discharge procedure in respect of the implementation of the 2003 budget

The Council will present its recommendation to give discharge for the implementation of the 2003 general budget. As it has done in the past, the Commission will act on the Council's observations accompanying the recommendation, and will keep it informed on the measures taken and of their result. The Commission shares in particular the Council's disappointment that the Court was still unable to give a positive Declaration of Assurance (DAS) in relation to most of the expenditure in 2003, including expenditure under shared management with Member States, such as Structural Funds and Agricultural expenditure. The Commission is firmly committed to do what it takes to obtain a positive DAS. It will propose an inter-institutional roadmap to achieve this goal.

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