Media release

Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Finance: financial services reflect the real economic and geopolitical situation

Photo: Ministry of Finance of Latvia
22 April 2015

On 22 April, within the framework of the Latvian Presidency, a meeting of the EU Council Working Party on Financial Services took place in Riga. At the meeting, high-level experts in the field gave an insight into current issues related to financial services.

“Financial services are constantly changing and evolving, and they also reflect the real economic and geopolitical situation. There is no doubt therefore about the need to seek better and safer solutions for customers and markets,” noted Arvils Ašeradens, the Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, at the opening of the meeting.

Arvils Ašeradens also thanked all the participants for their active cooperation with the Latvian Presidency. This has resulted in a political agreement on the proposal for a regulation on interchange fees. The Presidency has also been able to make further progress with the very important and complex issues of banking structural reforms.

At the beginning of the year, a general approachto the Benchmark Regulationwas successfully approved, and the Presidency is ready to start negotiations with the European Parliament in the near future. The Insurance Mediation Directive and the Payment Services Directive, for their part, are both currently at the trialogue phase of negotiations among the European Parliament, the European Commission and the EU Council.

“We are making rapid progress towards the successful conclusion of ongoing issues by the end of our Presidency,” emphasised the Parliamentary Secretary.

Meetings of the Working Party on Financial Services take place every six months in the country holding the presidency. It brings together attaches and experts from the EU Member States in the field of financial services.

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