Irish Finance Minister progresses work on the European Semester process and seeks agreement on Council guidelines for the 2014 Budget

11-2-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan TD will chair the second meeting of Ireland’s Presidency of the ECOFIN in Brussels on Tuesday 12th February. He will seek to advance work on Ireland’s Presidency agenda of stability, jobs and growth with further work on the European Semester process, with the agreement of Council conclusions on the annual growth survey and the 2013 alert mechanism report. He will update the Council on the state of play on specific financial services dossiers.

Minister Michael Noonan will seek agreement on the Council budget guidelines to the European Commission for the 2014 European Union Budget and on the Council recommendation to the European Parliament to grant discharge to the Commission on the way in which the 2011 annual budget has been spent.

The second meeting of the ECOFIN Council represents an opportunity to advance the processes for maintaining economic stability though the European Semester process and take stock of work to date on the banking union agenda.

The  meeting will also include:

• an update from the Presidency on financial services dossiers (CRD IV and banking supervision mechanism, market abuse directive/regulation and markets in financial instruments directive) and economic surveillance measures (“two pack”)
• an exchange of views on the terms of reference for the G20 Finance Ministers and Governors meeting in Moscow on 15-16 February
• an exchange of views on the adoption of conclusions in respect of the Fiscal Sustainability Report 2012