Economic and Financial Affairs Council

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The Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) is one of the oldest configurations of the Council of the European Union [1] and is composed of the economics and finance ministers of the 27 European Union member states, as well as Budget Ministers when budgetary issues are discussed.

Contents

ECOFIN often works with the European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs and the President of the European Central Bank.

Tasks

The Council covers a number of EU policy areas, such as economic policy coordination, economic surveillance, monitoring of Member States' budgetary policy and public finances, the euro (legal, practical and international aspects), financial markets and capital movements and economic relations with third countries. [1] It also prepares and adopts every year, together with the European Parliament, the budget of the European Union which is about €145 bn. [2]

Art. 284 of the TFEU enables the ECOFIN president can attend the meetings of the ECB's Governing Council as an observer.

Decision making

The council meets once a month and decides mainly by qualified majority, in consultation or codecision with the European Parliament, with the exception of fiscal matters which are decided by unanimity. [1] When the Ecofin Council examines dossiers related to the euro and EMU, the representatives of the Member States whose currency is not the euro do not take part in the vote of the council.

ECOFIN delegates some of its tasks to the Code of Conduct Group. [3] For example, that Group has resolved issues of tax policy on Jersey, Gibraltar and other "dependent or associated territories", [3] and investigated the UK Patent Box tax treatment. [4] [5] [6]

Members

Member [7] RepresentingPolitical partyMember since
Makis KERAVNOS (cropped).jpg Makis Keravnos Flag of Europe.svg Acting President
Flag of Cyprus.svg Cyprus
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
National: Democratic Party
1 March 2023
Amtsubergabe im Finanzministerium - 3. Marz 2025 (54361934012).jpg Markus Marterbauer Flag of Austria.svg Austria Party of European Socialists
National: Social Democratic Party
3 March 2025
Vincent Van Peteghem - 2023 (cropped).jpg Vincent Van Peteghem Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium European People's Party
National: Christian Democratic and Flemish
1 October 2020
Temenuzhka Petkova, Minister of Energy (38424525094).jpg Temenuzhka Petkova Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria European People's Party
National: GERB
25 January 2025
Croatian Finance Minister (cropped).jpg Marko Primorac Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia Independent15 July 2022
ZbynekStanjura.jpg Zbyněk Stanjura Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czechia European Conservatives and Reformists Party
National: Civil Democratic Party
17 December 2021
Stephanie Lose, EU2024BE 240223 Informal meeting of economic and financial affairs ministers Gent JNZT 1011 (53546050677) (cropped).jpg Stephanie Lose Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party
National: Venstre
23 November 2023
Jurgen Ligi, 2011 (cropped).jpg Jürgen Ligi Flag of Estonia.svg Estonia Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party
National: Estonian Reform Party
23 July 2024
Hallitusneuvottelut 9.5.2023 (52884105130) (cropped).jpg Riikka Purra Flag of Finland.svg Finland European Conservatives and Reformists Party
National: Finns Party
20 June 2023
Visit of Roland Lescure, Minister attached to the French Minister for Economics, to the European Commission - 2022 (cropped).jpg Roland Lescure Flag of France.svg France Independent
National: Renaissance
5 October 2025
2025-05-05 Unterzeichnung des Koalitionsvertrages der 21. Wahlperiode des Bundestages by Sandro Halank-049 (cropped).jpg Lars Klingbeil Flag of Germany.svg Germany Party of European Socialists
National: Social Democratic Party
6 May 2025
Kyriakos PIERRAKAKIS (cropped).jpg Kyriakos Pierrakakis Flag of Greece.svg Greece European People's Party
National: New Democracy
15 March 2025
Nagy Marton.jpg Márton Nagy Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary IndependentMay 24, 2022
Simon Harris at the Special European Council - 2024 (cropped).jpg Simon Harris Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland European People's Party
National: Fine Gael
18 November 2025
Giancarlo Giorgetti at the Eurogroup meeting - December 2023 (01) (cropped).jpg Giancarlo Giorgetti Flag of Italy.svg Italy Patriots
National: League
22 October 2022
Flickr - Saeima - 10.Saeimas deputats Arvils Aseradens.jpg Arvils Ašeradens Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia European People's Party
National: Unity
14 December 2022
Kristupas Vaitiekūnas Flag of Lithuania.svg Lithuania Party of European Socialists
National: Social Democratic Party
25 September 2025
Roth Dombrovskis 2024 (cropped).jpg Gilles Roth Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxembourg European People's Party
National: Christian Social People's Party
17 November 2023
Clyde Caruana (cropped).jpg Clyde Caruana Flag of Malta.svg Malta Party of European Socialists
National: Labour Party
22 November 2020
Eelco Heinen, July 2024.jpg Eelco Heinen Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party
National: People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
2 July 2024
Andrzej Domanski KPRM.jpg Andrzej Domański Flag of Poland.svg Poland European People's Party
National: Civic Coalition
13 December 2023
Joaquim Miranda Sarmento (Agencia Lusa) portrait.png Joaquim Miranda Sarmento Flag of Portugal (official).svg Portugal European People's Party
National: Social Democratic Party
2 April 2024
Alexandru Nazare Flag of Romania.svg Romania European People's Party
National: National Liberal Party
23 June 2025
Ladislav Kamenicky, 2024.jpg Ladislav Kamenický Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia Independent
National: Direction – Social Democracy
25 October 2023
Klemen Bostjancic - 52115202015 (cropped) v2.jpg Klemen Boštjančič Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia Renew Europe
National: Freedom Movement
1 June 2022
Carlos Cuerpo 2024 (cropped).png Carlos Cuerpo Flag of Spain.svg Spain Independent29 December 2023
Elisabeth SVANTESSON (Minister for Finance, Sweden).jpg Elisabeth Svantesson Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden European People's Party
National: Moderate Party
18 October 2022

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Economic and Financial Affairs
  2. "EUROPA - Activities of the European Union - Budget". europa.eu. Archived from the original on 2006-06-15.
  3. 1 2 ec.europa.eu: Taxation and Customs Union - Harmful tax competition - Code of Conduct
  4. TMF Group: "EU’s Code of Conduct Group finds UK’s Patent Box harmful" 25 Oct 2013
  5. "DLA Piper: "EC CHALLENGES THE UK PATENT BOX" Oct 2013" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  6. Reddie & Grose: "18 December 2013: UK Patent Box – Taxing times?" Archived 5 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Members of the Eurogroup (in inclusive format". European Council. Retrieved 21 November 2025.