McCreevy to address currency issues at G7

The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, will lead a delegation of European finance ministers at A two-day G7 meeting with currency…

The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, will lead a delegation of European finance ministers at A two-day G7 meeting with currency instability top of the agenda.

Mr Mr McCreevy is in Boca Raton, Florida, for the meeting as president of the EU joining finance ministers from the world's wealthiest nations for a two-day meeting of the G7.

Recent currency fluctuations has seen the dollar plummet in value against the euro.

Eurozone countries including France and Germany were expected to argue for action to rein back the single European currency, amid business complaints that its soaring value is harming continental economies by making exports too expensive.

READ MORE

European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet yesterday indicated he was looking for the G7 to warn against excessive volatility on foreign exchange markets, saying: "We again particularly stress stability and remain concerned about excessive exchange rate moves."

French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said: "Our productivity gains should not be eroded by unequal or too abrupt changes in the exchange rate.

"We want exchange rates that reflect economic reality. I hope that the G7 members' meeting at the weekend can agree on this diagnosis."

The euro is currently worth about $1.25, well up on its low point of 82 cents in 2000.

However, US Treasury Secretary Mr John Snow and Federal Reserve Chairman Mr Alan Greenspan - who are hosting ministers and central bank chiefs from Ireland, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan - were expected to decline any agreement to halt the dollar's fall artificially.