Poul Thomsen

The changes to the taxation of the self-employed and freelancers proposed by the Finance Ministry brought to mind a discussion I had in 2012 in Washington with Poul Thomsen, the then head of the International Monetary Fund's mission for Greece and later the Fund's director for Europe.

Alfred Kammer, director of the European Department at the International Monetary Fund, is calling on Greece to redouble its reform efforts to face the double challenge of the legacy of the austerity programs and the coronavirus pandemic. He is careful to note that the necessary reforms include the increased funding of well-targeted social protection.

The International Monetary Fund estimates that years of efforts to contain Greece's national debt will go to waste due to the coronavirus pandemic, as it projects the country's dues will soar to 200.8 percent of gross domestic product this year, with a primary budget deficit at 5.1 percent of GDP after five years of primary surpluses, according to the Fund's Fiscal Monitor report released on We

The International Monetary Fund said on Monday the relaxation of the eurozone's fiscal rules and support from the European Central Bank and the European Stability Mechanism are critical to a strong regional response to the coronavirus pandemic.

While non-EU emerging countries in Central and Eastern Europe are seeking IMF assistance in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, neither Turkey nor Russia have done so, the director of the fund's European department said on March 31.

The IMF is now facing simultaneous requests for assistance from the largest number of countries in its history, Poul Thomsen stressed.

It was April 17, 2010, and Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull had just erupted, sending out great big ash clouds that were causing widespread air traffic disruption in parts of Europe.

Referring to the mistakes that led to the derailment of the Greek rescue program, the International Monetary Fund's European department chief Poul Thomsen said during a speech at the London School of Economics on Monday that the previous SYRIZA-led government essentially chose austerity instead of reforms.

Romania is a safe country for investors, as the country is registering progresses regarding the stability of its institutional framework and budgetary strengthening, the Public Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici asserted during his meetings on Saturday in Washington, with the officials of the rating agencies and with Poul Thomsen, Director of the European Department at the International Monetar

Discussions continue on policies that could support the participation of the International Monetary Fund in the Greek program and the arrangement of the national debt, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said in Washington on Thursday, but stressed that "time is running very short" for a solution.

"Time is running out," International Monetary Fund spokesman Gerry Rice warned on Thursday in reference to the agreement required for the easing of Greece's national debt. He stressed that despite the progress in talks, the Europeans' proposals have not yet satisfied the Fund.