French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire calls on countries for
“closer coordination”
and to act more
“to support an inclusive economic rebound and fight against growing inequalities”
in the world, in a statement addressed to the committee management of the IMF.
Read also: Pandemic: the IMF recommends a temporary tax on the rich
"At European level, France has strongly pleaded for an ambitious recovery plan to help Europe bounce back more strongly than before the crisis"
, recalls the minister in this text which he will deliver on Thursday at the meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee of the International Monetary Fund (IMFC).
Bruno Le Maire underlines that the “Next Generation EU” recovery plan adopted in July 2020 represented
“historic progress”
since the European Union will invest massively in green and digital projects.
But
"now is the time"
to implement it, he adds.
In his own statement to the Committee, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria reiterated that
“a premature and abrupt withdrawal of budget support must be avoided, while economies are still fragile and growth remains hampered by (... ) a slow pace of vaccinations ”
.
He adds that these efforts are an
"opportunity to accelerate the transition to a lower carbon economy and to limit the threat that climate change poses"
to the global economy.
In particular, he recommends drawing up a
“clear roadmap”
on the objectives of climate policy, in particular on the carbon tax, to reduce the uncertainty that hinders potential investments in clean technologies.
Two meetings per year
The International Monetary and Financial Committee will hold a press conference on Thursday with its new president, Sweden's Magdalena Andersson, the first woman to hold the post.
The IMFC meets twice a year, usually in April and October, when members of the IMF and World Bank meet for spring and annual meetings.
The two 2020 meetings were virtual, like those this week, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The CFMI examines issues relating to the global economy and provides advice to the IMF on the direction of its work.
