Laeken, 14/12/2001 (Agence Europe) - At EUROPE was going to press Friday evening, the Ministers for the Economy and Finance were submitting their contributions to the Heads of State and Government in Laeken on the economic situation, the introduction of coins and notes in euro, and on the role of the Eurogroup. The EcoFin Ministers worked on this text at the meeting of the Eurogroup, Friday morning and at Thursday's EcoFin Council . Concerning the economy, the Heads of State should note that the EU was going through a period of slow growth, and that it was therefore all the more important to push forward with structural reforms. The importance of the role played by the informal body of the Eurogroup in co-ordinating economic and budgetary policies should be reaffirmed, whereas Didier Reynders stressed at a press conference that its functioning could be improved, especially in the perspective of enlargement.. He said that its role had been increased, notably in deepening discussions on structural reforms.
Friday afternoon, the informal EcoFin Council took place in the presence of the President of the IMF. Talks revolved, notably around: the economic situation in Turkey and Argentina; - the problem of globalisation and its implications for development; - the Euro's place on the international stage; - the difference between the economic situation in the United States and Europe.