Preparation of the Eurogroup and ECOFIN meetings, 27-28 April 2018

Vice-President Dombrovskis and Commissioner Moscovici will represent the European Commission at the Eurogroup and informal ECOFIN meetings taking place in Sofia on 27 and 28 April.

The Eurogroup will take stock of progress made on the ongoing fourth review of the stability support programme for Greece. The Eurogroup will also be briefed by the institutions on the key topics that are relevant to the successful completion of the programme. The Chair of the European Central Bank’s Supervisory Board, Danièle Nouy, will present the ECB’s banking supervision activities since January 2017 to the Eurogroup and the Chair of the Single Resolution Board, Elke König, will inform the Eurogroup of the Board’s ongoing activities. There will also be a thematic discussion on growth and jobs, with a specific focus on wage dynamics. Commissioner Moscovici will participate in the press conference following the meeting. At the first session of the ECOFIN meeting starting on Friday, Ministers will discuss the deepening of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), including the completion of the Banking Union and the future of the European Stability Mechanism. In the afternoon, Ministers are expected to exchange views on the strengthening of economic convergence among EU Member States based on lessons learned from the past. A discussion is also planned on how to further reduce fragmentation within the Capital Markets Union, on the basis of the measures already proposed by the Commission, as well as new initiatives in the pipeline. Vice-President Dombrovskis will participate in the press conference following this first session. On Saturday morning the focus switches to taxation policy as Ministers will be invited to discuss the future of corporate taxation in the EU, including the challenges created by the digitalisation of the economy. This debate follows Commission proposals for anoverhaul of corporate tax rules for multinational companieswithin the Union, as well as proposals to ensure thefair taxation of the digital economy.  An exchange of views will also be held on how to build trust and exchange of information between tax administrations in the EU. A press conference with Commissioner Moscovici will follow the end of the ECOFIN meeting on Saturday.