Economic and Financial Affairs Council

The Council of Economics and Finance ( officially: " ECOFIN "; abbreviation: . ECOFIN or ECOFIN, colloquially referred to as the Ecofin Council or EU Finance Ministers Council, English Economic and Financial Affairs Council ) is a formation of the Council of the European Union in the composition of Economic and Finance Ministers of the EU Member States.

The Ecofin Council is regarded as one of the EU's most powerful decision-making bodies, compared so that the public attention is rather low for the regular council meetings.

At meetings to monitor the budgetary policy and public finances in the context of the Euro Stability Pact shall be attended only the ministers of the members of the Euro Group. The Council meets once a month. One day before the meeting of the Council meet the members of the Euro Group.

The Ecofin Council is not to be confused with the alternatives Ecofin, an annual conference since 2006, civil society, the more "democratic, social and environmental economic policy " claims to opportunities for plans to develop in the EU.

Content focus

The Ecofin Council is concerned with all economic and financial matters of EU policies, ie essentially with the European Economic and Monetary Union. Specifically, these include:

  • The EU-wide coordination and surveillance of economic policies
  • The surveillance of budgetary policy and public finances in the EU Member States
  • Economic relations with third countries
  • The euro
  • The international financial markets and international capital movements
Eurogroup
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