By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member François Villeroy de Galhau said on Tuesday that it would be premature to predict an interest rate change, and that the ECB would not make decisions only based on energy prices.

Speaking to reporters in Paris, Villeroy, who heads the Banque de France, said that the ECB would release a new round of economic projections in the March meeting, adding that it “would be a mistake to rush into predicting a possible change in interest rates today.”

The ECB would not rely exclusively on current energy price developments when making its decisions, he said.

Villeroy noted that the French economy has limited exposure to tensions in the Middle East.

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