Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The finance ministers of the eurozone countries, which are the countries that deal with the single European currency, will meet in Brussels this afternoon, Monday, to discuss the priorities and challenges facing the eurozone in the new European policy cycle, according to a statement issued in Brussels, adding, "The President of the Eurogroup will invite the ministers to participate in a strategic political discussion on the main political priorities of the eurozone and the role of the Eurogroup in addressing them. The Commission will be invited to present the main economic priorities of the new body with regard to the eurozone.
Eurozone Recommendation 2025
The Commission will present its draft recommendation for the eurozone published on December 18, on which the ministers will hold an initial exchange of views.
Innovation in wholesale payments
The ministers will discuss the use of innovative technologies, such as tokenization and distributed ledger technology, in the settlement of wholesale transactions.
Mr. Hyun Sung Shin, Economic Counsellor and Head of the Monetary and Economic Department at the Bank for International Settlements, will be invited to contribute to the discussion
The European Central Bank will provide an update on its exploratory work on new technologies for the settlement of wholesale transactions.
Digital Euro
Ministers will have the opportunity to reflect on the progress of the digital euro project since their last exchange in October, based on updates from the European Central Bank and the Commission.
Policy priorities of the French and Lithuanian governments
The new French Minister of Economic and Financial Affairs, Eric Lombard, and the new Lithuanian Minister of Finance, Rimantas Chadzius, will be invited to present the policy priorities of their governments.