The President of the Eurogroup, Didier Reynders, introduced Mr Euro to his colleagues at the meeting of the Euro-zone Finance Ministers

The President of the Eurogroup, Didier Reynders, introduced Mr Euro to his colleagues at the meeting of the Euro-zone Finance Ministers held at the Palais d’Egmont in Brussels on Monday 9 July at 7 pm. Mr Euro is the interactive cyber-player who will be accompanying Didier Reynders throughout the period preceding the launch of the euro coins and banknotes, scheduled for midnight this 31 December. The day after the meeting of the Eurogroup, on Tuesday 10 July, the Council of the Economics and Finance Ministers (Ecofin) meets. At the debate organised at the opening of this Council, the presidency hopes that a constructive exchange of views will be able to take place on the main issues to be tackled in the coming six months (+ link to the complete priorities document). These main issues relate notably to the determination of a proactive approach with regard to the co-ordination of the economic policies and the establishment of the European company status as a lever to drive forward the integration of the financial markets. The possibility of direct financing of part of the Union’s budget without an increase in global fiscal pressure will also be addressed during this opening debate.