EU Finanace Ministers Pick New Leader

BRUSSELS (AP) -- The finance ministers from the 19 countries that use the euro as their currency are in the process of deciding who should lead their discussions.

The decision of who will be president of the so-called eurogroup is expected later Monday, with Portugal's Mario Centeno widely tipped to succeed Dutchman Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who has held the post for nearly five years.

Dijsselbloem was at the helm during an extremely volatile period for the eurozone largely centering on cash-strapped Greece.

Whoever gets the presidency will inherit a eurozone in far better shape than the one that existed during Dijsselbloem's tenure. The eurozone economy is growing strongly while worries over Greece's future in the single currency bloc have subsided and the country is poised to exit its bailout era next summer.

(KA)