Experts from China and Vietnam Visit Ministry of Finance of Baden-Württemberg

Within a professional training programme at the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim, 19 employees at the Chinese Ministry of Finance and other state institutions in China and Vietnam visited the Ministry of Finance of the state Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart. At the ministry, the guests from Asia were welcomed by Dr. Gisela Meister-Scheufelen, head of ministry department: "Baden-Württemberg aims at maintaining and intensifying the international dialogue on lasting fiscal policy. In particular, the financial market crisis has made it clear how closely linked the world is today. Due to the globalisation, we are all facing great challenges. We are all learning from each other."

Speeches by Meister-Scheufelen and Reiner Moser, head of the department of budget, on the topics "National Budget and Budget Planning in Germany" and "Budget of the State Baden-Württemberg" followed. The speeches were of particular interest for the experts from finance departments in Chinese provinces like Hainan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu and Fujian. The guest were surprised about the fact that German states are allowed to make debts independently and wanted to know everything about it in detail. When answering the questions, the two presenters benefited from their long-time experience and included comments on the latest developments in the German fiscal policy, e.g. the introduction of a debt limit.

The group of financial experts from China and Vietnam consists of employees at the Ministries of Finance in both countries, the State Bank of Vietnam, the Ministry of Planning and Investment in Vietnam and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. From September to November 2010, the experts participate in a ZEW professional training programme on macroeconomics. The programme imparts knowledge on fiscal and monetary policy, labour and financial markets as well as trade policy. Moreover, the ten-week programme focuses on the analysis and discussion of development strategies for China and Vietnam. On the one hand, the experts will acquire theoretical knowledge in the mentioned economic policies, on the other hand, they will learn about the practical implementation in Germany and the EU.

The course at ZEW is part of the training programme "Strengthening Macroeconomic Policies", which is organised by Inwent – Capacity Building International, Germany, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation. This project, in which the Ministry of Finance of the state Baden-Württemberg is participating for the first time, is taking place at ZEW for the second time. The programme will also be conducted in Mannheim in the next few years.

For further information please contact

Claudia Pretsch, E-mail: pretsch@zew.de