The Minister of National Economy and Finance, Kostis Hatzidakis, will travel to Brussels today in order to participate in the Eurogroup and ECOFIN meetings.

In particular, the Eurogroup meeting will take place today, where a Joint Statement on the competitiveness of the European economy is expected to be adopted.

The agenda also includes a discussion on the euro area banking system and the main challenges it faces, a follow-up on progress on the Capital Markets Union and a review of the latest macroeconomic developments and outlook, with a focus on inflation.

At tomorrow's ECOFIN meeting, the Council will seek political agreement on the legislative package on VAT in the digital age. In addition, ministers will be briefed on progress in the implementation of the Recovery Fund and will approve the revised national plans of the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. The agenda also includes discussions on the fiscal aspects of the Draghi report on the competitiveness of the European economy, the economic impact of the war in Ukraine and the findings of the annual report of the European Fiscal Council. Council conclusions on EU statistics for 2024 are also expected to be adopted.

In addition, the regular Ministerial Dialogue between the EU and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries will take place in the context of the ECOFIN Council. In the margins of the meetings, Hatzidakis will hold meetings with European officials.