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Council of the European Union:
The Eurogroup is an informal body where the ministers of the euro area member states discuss matters relating to their shared responsibilities related to the euro.
Protocol 14 to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union [PDF]
ON THE EURO GROUP

THE HIGH CONTRACTING PARTIES,

DESIRING to promote conditions for stronger economic growth in the European Union and, to that end, to develop ever closer coordination of economic policies within the euro area,

CONSCIOUS of the need to lay down special provisions for enhanced dialogue between the Member States whose currency is the euro, pending the euro becoming the currency of all Member States of the Union,

HAVE AGREED UPON the following provisions, which shall be annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union:

Article 1

The Ministers of the Member States whose currency is the euro shall meet informally. Such meetings shall take place, when necessary, to discuss questions related to the specific responsibilities they share with regard to the single currency. The Commission shall take part in the meetings. The European Central Bank shall be invited to take part in such meetings, which shall be prepared by the representatives of the Ministers with responsibility for finance of the Member States whose currency is the euro and of the Commission.

Article 2

The Ministers of the Member States whose currency is the euro shall elect a president for two and a half years, by a majority of those Member States.

Why there was a need to attach a protocol to the Treaties for this purpose, I do not know.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jun 29th, 2015 at 04:02:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I think I recall that at the time, France asked for a politic supervision of the independent central bank, which was refused, but not completely, the result being the eurogroup.
by Xavier in Paris on Mon Jun 29th, 2015 at 04:17:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Wasn't this more about assuaging British concerns about institutionalising a sub-EU unit?

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Mon Jun 29th, 2015 at 04:30:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
France asked for a politic supervision of the independent central bank, which was refused

I do not know whether or not it was the British behind the refusal, but as unlikely as it might be in general that British concerns might be behind refusing something that the French wished to see happen (ahem)...

... it seems quite plausible that the British would object to setting up a formal political authority for the Eurozone ... it would be my first guess as to why "it was refused".

I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.

by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Tue Jun 30th, 2015 at 08:13:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I think I remember Germany and the UK being on the same side there... Saxe-Cobourg in force! :-)

Joke aside, whereas Germany opposed thefrench proposal on the grounds that it would render the ECB dependent from a political body -which we now know was the thing to do-, Britain was more in line with your explanation: opposing whatever that may resemble a federal institution, and also opposing a european body that would exclude them.

by Xavier in Paris on Wed Jul 1st, 2015 at 01:01:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Jesus Christ.

Is there a Europe or isn't there? It really doesn't seem that hard a question.

Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other. -- Dr Johnson

by melvin (melvingladys at or near yahoo.com) on Mon Jun 29th, 2015 at 05:13:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
There is. It's gearing up to crush Greece with economic warfare.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jun 29th, 2015 at 05:20:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
And then?

Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other. -- Dr Johnson
by melvin (melvingladys at or near yahoo.com) on Mon Jun 29th, 2015 at 05:25:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well - that's the 64 trillion dollar question.

But I wonder if the IMF are in fact perfectly happy with a divided Europe pockmarked by fascist nationalist governments. There certainly seems to be no interest in preventing that outcome.

Instead of a two-speed Europe you then have a half-speed Europe, where the various countries eye each other suspiciously and are reliably unable to agree on anything that doesn't involve bullying or exploiting a weaker partner.

If you're a neoliberal, what's not to like?

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Mon Jun 29th, 2015 at 09:42:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The IMF is a US creature, and the US has never had a problem with a divided world pockmarked by fascist nationalist governments, so long as they were willing to give us our cut.
by rifek on Mon Jun 29th, 2015 at 11:38:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Europe is there, back with the historical tradition of a continent-wide conflict.
by das monde on Mon Jun 29th, 2015 at 08:36:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Though the question there is whether there is a Eurozone or not. The answer is, financially, yes, for purposes of any form of democratic oversight, not officially. {squint} Well, if the finance ministers of the Eurozone happen to encounter one another, maybe perhaps they could chat about the Eurozone as a topic.


I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.
by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Tue Jun 30th, 2015 at 08:06:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Two reasons I can think of:

  1. The Ueberklass wanted direct access to meetings of ministers without the inconvenience of having to disclose what was going on.
  2. The EU wanted the bureaucratic version of a BS grinder, a machine that looks and sounds impressive but can't actually do anything.

#2 is what we're seeing, although I'd be shocked to learn #1 didn't happen prior to the Eurogroup setting out.  The Greeks were expecting an informal body; they got the Trans Europa Fail Train.  I consider that alone preclusive evidence the EU and the troika never intended good faith negotiations.
by rifek on Mon Jun 29th, 2015 at 11:37:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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