Dutch and Spanish rivals stake claims to lead Eurogroup

By Thomas Escritt and Jesús Aguado AMSTERDAM/SANTANDER, Spain (Reuters) - The two politicians vying to chair the council of euro zone finance ministers, a key role in the Greek debt crisis, set out their stalls on Tuesday, with the Dutch incumbent promising further reforms and his Spanish challenger pointing to his country's economic turnaround. Spain's Luis de Guindos has been seen as the frontrunner for the job, with many believing it is time for the chairmanship to pass to one of the southern countries hardest hit by the euro zone's debt crisis. But he faces a challenge ousting Dutchman Jeroen Dijsselbloem, seen as the candidate of the wealthier northern countries, who wants to be reappointed for another two and a half years when his mandate ends in July. The race for the Eurogroup position comes as finance ministers struggle to hammer out a deal between Greece and its international creditors to avoid a default at the end of the month, which many fear could lead to a Greek exit from the euro. Dijsselbloem, after initial stumbles during the 2012 Cyprus bailout, has since won praise for his handling of the Greek negotiations, but his chances of retaining the job could hinge on whether those negotiations come to a successful conclusion. De Guindos said Spain's record in turning a shrinking economy into one of the euro zone's fastest-growing, should count in the decision. Spain's economy is expected to grow 2.8 percent this year after emerging from years of recession in 2013. "It's better to have a Eurogroup chair from a country which has been on the brink of collapse and which is now growing at double the rate," De Guindos told a conference in Santander, northern Spain. Dijsselbloem, in a letter arguing for his reappointment, said he would aim to deepen cooperation in the euro zone, saying that labour market, social security, pension and tax reforms had to be on the agenda for the 19-member currency union. The agricultural economist and former civil servant urged finance ministers to push to complete the Capital Markets Union, which he said would help broaden the sharing of risk and reduce dependence on bank financing within the 28-member EU. De Guindos, an economist and former investment banker, said he would promote policy coordination and structural reforms to boost growth and jobs. "The euro zone needs not only a firefighter but a builder," he said in his job application. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt, Sarah White and Sonya Dowsett; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)