A Portuguese economist will be the new leader of the group that manages crises for the eurozone, a sign that the region’s officials may be ready to leave behind an era during which the euro often appeared to be on the brink of collapse.

The choice on Monday of Mário Centeno, Portugal’s finance minister, as the Eurogroup’s next president reflects a change in the body’s focus. The move could signal that austerity policies imposed on struggling countries like Greece are nearing an end, and that rather than simply trying to survive, the 19 finance ministers who make up the Eurogroup are debating how to make the bloc less susceptible to future crises.

The election of Mr. Centeno, which was widely expected, carried particular symbolic weight because he is from one of the countries hardest hit by a debt crisis that began in 2010. He succeeds Jeroen Dijsselbloem, a Dutch official who was closely allied with Germany and the northern European countries that insisted Greece and other debt-plagued eurozone members make huge spending cuts to pensions, unemployment benefits and other programs in order to qualify for aid.

The center of gravity on the Eurogroup was already shifting after the departure of Wolfgang Schäuble, the German finance minister who was the group’s dominant member and a leading advocate for austerity policies. Mr. Schäuble resigned in October to become president of the German Parliament.