BRUSSELS: All 27 EU countries have endorsed a second term for International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva, Belgium’s finance minister said on Tuesday.

Bulgarian economist Georgieva, 70, said last week she would be “honoured” to lead the Washington-based financial institution for a second five-year term.

Her current term expires on September 30.

“I’m very happy to announce that all European member states actually expressed that support for Kristalina,” Belgium Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem said after a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels.

He pointed to the “trust” that the European Union had in Georgieva, adding: “Kristalina showed strong leadership the last couple of years especially during unprecedented crises and that she also provided support to all the members.”

During Georgieva’s tenure, the IMF has on several occasions helped countries facing financial difficulties during the coronavirus pandemic as well as the havoc wrought by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, especially in Europe.

The Belgian minister said he hoped the IMF would make a “very quick” decision.

Under a controversial, decades-old agreement between Europe and the United States, the IMF has historically been led by a European, and the World Bank by a US citizen.