Brussels, 28/02/2000 (Agence Europe) - The Ecofin Council decided unanimously on Monday to approve the candidacy, on behalf of Europe, of German State Secretary for Finance Caio Koch-Weser for the post of Director General of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Council President Joaquim Pina Moura stated that "every representative of the governments" of Member States had "agreed to support Mr Koch-Weser as the Union's candidate". Mr Pina Moura said he was "completely satisfied with this choice" for a post that has already been filled by prestigious Europeans, the latest being French national Michel Camdessus. Mr Koch-Weser "has tremendous political and technical competence", he stated, adding that the fact that the EU is presenting a "candidate it champions" demonstrates that its "objective is for the Director General post to remain in the hands of a European".
The IMF announced last week that two applications had been submitted for this post, by Japanese national Eisuke Sakakibara and American Stanley Fischer. The European candidacy obviously changes the situation.