The Council of economic and financial ministers (Ecofin) has expressed a positive opinion about the stability and convergence programmes presented by Italy, France, Greece, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Ireland and the United Kingdom. In the course of their meeting, the fifteen ministers of the economy and finance also expressed their cautious optimism about the European economic upturn and the financial prospects of the EU following the approval of the general budget in January. As regards the stability programmes, now that the early warnings issued to Germany and Portugal have been set aside, Ecofin emphasized the substantial respect shown by the accounts of member states for the “major guidelines of economic policy” in 2001.
