News - May 2010
Brussels Economic Forum 2010: Healthy economic future is within reach
26/05/2010
"Beyond the immediate fire-fighting,Europe needs to focus on laying the fondations for sustainable and smart growth.Fiscal consolidation is among the key policy challenges,along with structural measures to lift potential growth and the capacity to create jobs.Europe must also be ahead of the curve in striving for a green economic transformation.Backed up by stronger European economic policy coordination,a virtuous circle of sustainable growth,sustainable public finances and high employmentis is within reach"
EBRD Annual Meeting 2010. The Jacques de Larosière Lecture, Zagreb
15/05/2010
"The essential cornerstone for reinforcing both the preventive and the corrective arms of the Stability and Growth Pact is to coordinate fiscal policy in advance. This ensures that national budgets are consistent with the jointly agreed European obligations, so that they do not put at risk the stability of the euro-area as a whole and of other Member States. The idea is not to go through national budgets budget-line by budget-line, but rather to have a broader picture of the budgetary guidelines and fiscal balance."
Olli REHN, European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs : "A consolidation pact with two equally important components"
11/05/2010
"I welcome that ECOFIN's decisions on fiscal consolidation and on the European stabilisation mechanism are by and large based on the Commission's proposals. I am referring to the stabilisation mechanism with a total volume of up to € 500 billion, which was the decision of yesterday."
Commissioner Rehn and IMF Managing Director Strauss-Kahn
03/05/2010
"We strongly support the economic program announced today by the Government of Greece. The steps being taken, while difficult, are necessary to restore confidence in the Greek economy and to secure a better future for the Greek people. The program is unprecedented in the scope of the national effort required, as well as in the scale of the financial support-- €110 billion--being provided by euro area countries and IMF. We are confident that Greece will rise to the challenge and succeed."
