Press Release
Informal meeting of Governors of the Member States of the EU at the World Bank attended by Paul Wolfowitz, US candidate for the chairmanship

Date of release : 30-03-2005

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations

On Wednesday, 30 March 2005, the representatives of the 25 Member States of the EU, Switzerland and the Nordic Group at the World Bank welcomed Paul Wolfowitz to an informal meeting in Brussels. Mr Wolfowitz is the candidate for the chairmanship of the World Bank, put forward by US President George W. Bush. The Luxembourg Presidency was represented by Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg Governor at the World Bank, Luc Frieden, as well as Minister Jean-Louis Schiltz, current President of the Council of Cooperation Ministers.

The aim of the meeting was to create an exchange of views between European Governors, the majority of whom are European Ministers for Finance or Development, and the US candidate prior to the decision on confirming the latter. The meeting also provided the Governors with the opportunity to express their wish for better European representation within the World Bank’s governing bodies. The talks focused on the importance of the World Bank’s work aimed at achieving the "Millennium Goals", which seek to reduce world poverty by half by 2015, to bolster the fight against diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis and to enable everyone to gain access to education. "The Millennium Goals are not merely an expression of good faith, they are a specific instrument for measuring the effectiveness of aid", acknowledged Paul Wolfowitz.

In his capacity as Luxembourg Governor of the World Bank, Minister Frieden announced that he was very satisfied with Paul Wolfowitz’s commitment to ensuring the World Bank remained a key player in the reduction of poverty, particularly by encouraging economic development, education and the rule of law in developing countries.