Informal videoconference of the EU ministers of the economy and finance

On the initiative of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Republic of Croatia Zdravko Marić, a last HR PRES informal videoconference of the ministers of finance of the EU.

On the initiative of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Republic of Croatia Zdravko Marić, a last HR PRES informal videoconference of the ministers of finance of the EU Member States will be convened on 9 June 2020 followed by the annual meeting of the EIB Board of Governors.

In the first part, the European Commission will present its latest proposals concerning Europe’s recovery post COVID-19 crisis, with a focus on the repair, recovery and resilience needs and including the basic structure of the Recovery Plan for Europe. The Commission, the ECB and the EIB will provide an overview of the implementation of measures taken so far, as well as the plans related to EU’s recovery needs. Ministers will be invited to exchange views based on the Commission’s presentation.

In the second part, the Presidency will inform the Ministers on the adoption of the 2020 Country-specific recommendations and Council Opinions on the updated Stability or Convergence Programmes. The EFC Chair will report about the discussion in the preparatory committees.

On 9 June it will be the last ECOFIN meeting during the HR PRES. Despite the extraordinary and unforeseen circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, all tasks in terms of conducting negotiations between Member States and EU institutions within the legislative process at EU level were successfully completed. Inter alia, important measures were adopted – SURE instrument to help Member States protect jobs, employees and self-employed, Corona Response Investment Initiative (CRII), CRII+, EU budget flexibility, EU Solidarity Fund, etc. Until the end of the Presidency, HR PRES will continue to facilitate swift and timely agreement on the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), which includes the ‘Next Generation EU’ recovery and resilience instrument.