Ireland's Department of Finance published an agenda note for Minister for Finance and Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe’s participation in EU finance meetings in Brussels, where he will chair the Eurogroup on 17 February, attend ECOFIN on 18 February, and take part in an Economic Dialogue with the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs on 19 February. The Eurogroup is set to hear an update from Bulgaria’s finance minister on Bulgaria’s progress towards euro adoption, discuss the euro area macroeconomic outlook, agree the Euro Area Recommendation for 2025, and adopt the Eurogroup Work Programme for the first half of 2025. ECOFIN’s agenda includes a working breakfast covering the economic situation, an update from the European Investment Bank on its investment report and discussion of the OECD tax agreement, followed by Commission presentation of its Competitiveness Compass; discussions are also planned on the economic and financial outlook for Ukraine, next steps under the EU fiscal rules for Hungary, implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, budget guidelines for 2026, and the discharge to be given to the Commission for implementation of the 2023 EU budget. Under the new economic governance framework, ministers are expected to adopt recommendations on member states’ medium-term fiscal-structural plans and the Excessive Deficit Procedure and approve amended recovery and resilience plans, and to agree terms of reference for the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting on 26–27 February 2025 in South Africa, to which Ireland has been invited as a guest country. For the Euro Area Recommendation, the note sets out that following agreement at the Eurogroup and ECOFIN meetings, the next steps are endorsement at the March European Council and formal adoption by the Council; the 2025 recommendation covers competitiveness, resilience, and macroeconomic and financial stability.
Department of Finance (Ireland) 2025-02-17
Ireland's Department of Finance outlines Minister Donohoe’s Eurogroup and ECOFIN agenda including the 2025 Euro Area Recommendation
Ireland's Department of Finance released an agenda for Minister Paschal Donohoe's participation in EU finance meetings, including chairing the Eurogroup and attending ECOFIN. Key discussions will cover Bulgaria's euro adoption progress, the euro area macroeconomic outlook, and the Euro Area Recommendation for 2025. ECOFIN will address the economic situation, the OECD tax agreement, Ukraine's financial outlook, and EU fiscal rules.