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Euro area finance ministers elected Mr Centeno Eurogroup President on 4 December 2017, for a term of two and a half years.
Mr Centeno said: “I am highly motivated to take on the helm of the Eurogroup. We have a unique window of opportunity to deepen monetary union, making our common currency more resilient against future crises. Our responsibility is to deliver and meet the expectations of our citizens. I will spare no efforts to bring about the necessary consensus. I would also like to thank Jeroen Dijsselbloem for his strong leadership in the Eurogroup in a period where the euro area was put to the test”.
Mr Dijsselbloem said: “The eurozone is in much better shape now than in 2013. We have economic growth in all countries, unemployment is falling and public finances are on a sounder footing. Decisive steps have been taken to strengthen the monetary union, notably the banking union. I would like to wish Mário Centeno all the best in his new role as Eurogroup President.”
To mark the handover of the Eurogroup Presidency and complete the transition of tasks, Mr Dijsselbloem and Mr Centeno had a working meeting where they also discussed the Eurogroup agenda.
Mário Centeno is finance minister of Portugal, a position he was appointed to in 2015. The first Eurogroup meeting under the presidency of Mr Centeno will take place in Brussels on 22 January 2018.