Eurogroup, 10/10/2016
Agenda highlights
Greece
The EU institutions will brief the Eurogroup on the progress achieved by Greece in implementing the milestones agreed during the first review of Greece’s economic adjustment programme. The successful achievement of these milestones would open the way for the disbursement of the €2.8 billion which remain from the total of €10.3 billion granted under the first review of the programme (€7.5 billion of this overall sum were disbursed in June 2016).
The remaining milestones are related to privatisation, energy sector reforms, establishment of the revenue agency and measures related to bank governance.
The institutions are also expected to inform the ministers on the progress achieved in arrears clearance and on the way forward regarding the second review of the programme.
Thematic discussion on growth and jobs: health and long-term care systems
The Eurogroup will look into the risks that health care and long-term care expenditure may pose to the sustainability of public finances.
The Eurogroup decided to discuss this topic in December 2015 and the goal is to share national best practices and lessons learned in policymaking in this area.
Current fiscal issues
The Eurogroup will continue preparations for the annual discussion on euro area member states’ draft budgetary plans for the next year. In particular, ministers will discuss how the procedure should apply in those cases where a member state’s government does not have full budgetary powers. This could happen when a country has a caretaker government or holds parliamentary elections close to the deadline for the submission of budgetary plans.
According to the rules, eurozone members have to submit their draft budgetary plans between 1 and 15 October. The European Commission assesses them, and the Eurogroup holds a discussion based on that assessment.
G7 meeting
Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem will inform the ministers about the outcomes of the G7 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors, which takes place in the margins of the international meetings in Washington D.C.
