Press Release No. 05/179

Mr. Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement today on the death of
Wim Duisenberg, the first president of the European Central Bank:

"I was distressed to learn of the sudden death of Wim Duisenberg, a longtime colleague and friend. Mr. Duisenberg, a former IMF staff member who went on to serve as Dutch finance minister and as head of the Dutch central bank, was an outstanding public servant with an accomplished career. I came to respect him highly as a colleague during the five years we shared at ECOFIN meetings. He had a unique and effective style—a mix of consideration, courtesy, and candor. He was a dedicated European, and his contributions to European integration were many. He was also a confirmed internationalist and longtime and strong supporter of the IMF.

"We very much regret his passing. On behalf of the Executive Board and my colleagues at the IMF, I would like to express our deeply felt condolences and thoughts to his family."