Press Release No. 09/06

Press Release: Statement by IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn on an IMF-EC Technical Assistance Partnership Agreement

January 12, 2009

Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement today in Brussels following a ceremony with European Commission President José Manuel Barroso marking the signing of a Framework Agreement on a technical assistance partnership between the IMF and the European Commission:

"By signing this framework agreement, we are very pleased to set the stage for a more important and broader partnership between our institutions aimed at promoting international economic cooperation. This agreement is a milestone in the relationship between our institutions, moving our cooperation to a higher level with significant benefits for our members.

"To mutually reinforce our efforts to promote global economic cooperation and strengthen institutions, the European Commission will finance IMF technical advice and training in the IMF's core area of expertise, namely the promotion of financial sector stability, and in macroeconomic, fiscal, monetary and exchange rate policies, and in the enhancement of macroeconomic and financial statistics.

"The framework agreement will facilitate a close dialogue between the Fund and EC on the development of our strategies in capacity building all over the world and allow for critical synergies in line with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. Our agreement will also allow for greater information sharing on the substance of IMF technical advice and its implementation, as well as the coordination of technical assistance efforts."