Does the International Monetary Fund (IMF) considers to replace Poul Thomsen? Will the Danish numbers-Wizard will have to leave his favorite Greek post? According to daily TA NEA, rumors have it that the Danish head of IMF in Greece will be replaced by the same man who replaced him in Portugal: deputy director of IMF’s European Department Selassie Ababa.
New Thomsen?
“This whisper was widely spread in the corridors of international missions and ministerial offices,” Ta Nea claims and adds “For Greek political parties, Poul Thomsen is now persona non grata especially after he made unfortunate comparisons of wages in Greece with those in Romania and Bulgaria, and thus based on incorrect information.”
Old Thomsen
Similar rumors were spread last March, when the “IMF replaced Thomsen from his Portugal post so that he can commit himself to …Greece.” (source via TO VIMA)
PS Can anyone confirm that Thomsen was replaced in Portugal?
From the IMF website:
“Poul M. Thomsen is a Deputy Director of the IMF’s European Department. He is currently in charge of the IMF’s programs with Greece and Portugal, and also oversees the work of other country teams, including Iceland, Romania, and Ukraine.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Thomsen gained extensive knowledge of the economic and social problems facing the countries in Central and Eastern Europe through multiple assignments in the region, including as the IMF’s Senior Resident Representative and Head of the Fund’s Moscow Office.”
http://blog-imfdirect.imf.org/bloggers/poul-m-thomsen/
So it seems incorrect that he was replaced regarding Portugal.
thank you MFK for the info, however there is no date on the post.
On that same website you can find: “Abebe Aemro Selassie is an Assistant Director in the IMF’s European Department and is currently Mission Chief for Portugal.” http://blog-imfdirect.imf.org/bloggers/abebe-aemro-selassie/ Again with no date.
But here http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2012/INT040512A.htm on April 5, it is mentioned that he is Mission Chief in Portugal: “the IMF’s new mission chief for Portugal, Abebe Aemro Selassie”
Thaaaanks! even IMF burocrats are slow in updating data.