Eurogroup goes on with Donohoe: third term for the Irish EPP member

Brussels – The Eurogroup is still in the hands of the European People’s Party (EPP) and Paschal Donohoe, Ireland’s finance minister. The two challengers for the presidency of the informal organisation withdrew, leaving the outgoing president as the sole candidate. Already enjoying strong initial support, his re-election now seems certain. The finance ministers of Spain and Lithuania, the Socialists Carlos Cuerpo and Rimantas Šadžius, decided not to participate in the vote after verifying that they did not have the necessary numbers for the election (at least 11 out of the 20 EU states with the single currency). For Donohoe, a third term is therefore no longer an issue. 

Donohoe was first elected in July 2020 and confirmed in December 2022. In both cases, he obtained two-and-a-half-year mandates. In terms of longevity of service, his third appointment brings him close to Luxembourg’s Jean-Claude Juncker, who led the Eurogroup from January 1, 2005, to January 21, 2013.