MADRID (SPAIN) – Spain will propose economy minister Nadia Calvino as a candidate to head the Eurogroup, the government said in a statement on Thursday. By doing so it has become the first nation to formally announce a candidate.
The Eurogroup’s chairman heads the grouping of 19 euro zone finance ministers, a crucial decision making body in the currency bloc.
Proposals are to be submitted by the end of the day ahead of a confirmation vote on July 9, a government source said.
Calvino, who is also a deputy prime minister in Spain’s left-wing coalition government, has been tipped as a front-runner to take on the role by officials in Brussels.
The post has been lying vacant since Portuguese Finance Minister Mario Centeno announced earlier in June that he would not seek a second term.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said it would be an honour for Calvino to head the bloc and noted she would be the first woman to hold the role if elected.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field