G20 Finance Ministers Discuss Global Economic Stability

By Greg Williams

G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meet today and tomorrow in Baden-Baden, Germany.

"Debt reduction, tackling global tax avoidance and trade policies are being discussed at the G20," stated Jubilee USA's executive director Eric LeCompte who tracks the meetings. "Already we see some new dynamics on issues like trade with new leadership coming from Washington."

It is the first G20 meeting for new Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. In recent years G20 leaders seemed to use the same playbook on trade policies. President Trump was elected criticizing trade policies previously supported by the G20. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble is pressing for common statements on trade.

"There is a lot of pressure at this meeting to get leaders on the same page on trade," said LeCompte. "Generally, I'm concerned about continuing progress on debt and transparency issues."