OREANDA-NEWS. Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will visit Romania on July 15 and 16 and Lithuania on July 17 and 18, 2013. During her visit- the first to these two countries since her appointment as Managing Director of the IMF in July 2011-Ms. Lagarde will meet with the countries' respective authorities and policymakers as well as with representatives of the private sector, civil society, and academia to discuss the current economic outlook and the challenges lying ahead in each country.

In Bucharest, Ms. Lagarde will deliver a speech on Romania and Eastern Europe, focusing on identifying a new growth paradigm for the region. In Vilnius, she will participate in a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities of European economic integration, marking the beginning of Lithuania's Presidency of the European Union.