By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – The list of credible candidates to succeed European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde has barely changed in months, but the absence of new names is itself notable.
21 May 2026
By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Olli Rehn said Thursday that the ECB could still raise interest rates in June to protect its credibility, while saying there was little evidence so far that the latest inflation shock was becoming entrenched.
21 May 2026
By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Boris Vujčić said on Wednesday that the Iran war and the resulting energy price shock had put the ECB in a difficult position, with upward pressure on prices but a negative impact on growth.
20 May 2026
By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Pierre Wunsch said on Wednesday that if the Middle East conflict had not ended by the time the Governing Council meets on June 11, the chances of an interest rate hike would be quite high.
20 May 2026
By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – Banque de France governor nominee Emmanuel Moulin said on Wednesday that while the European Central Bank’s mandate is to fight inflation, interest rates should not be set as high as possible but instead be compatible with stable economic growth.
20 May 2026
By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – Banque de France Governor nominee Emmanuel Moulin said on Wednesday that it was too early to know what position he would take at the June meeting of the European Central Bank's Governing Council.
20 May 2026
By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – Former European Central Bank Governing Council member Mário Centeno said Wednesday that Europe needed deeper financial integration, less mutual suspicion and a central fiscal capacity for the Eurozone.
20 May 2026
By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Martin Kocher said on Tuesday that the ECB would have to hike interest rates if reaching the inflation target of 2% in the medium term was “unattainable.”
19 May 2026
By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member François Villeroy de Galhau said on Tuesday that the tightening of financial conditions was already affecting inflation.
19 May 2026
By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Joachim Nagel said on Tuesday that the economic outlook was moving away from the ECB’s baseline scenario and that the central bank might need to act.
19 May 2026
By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Chief Economist Philip Lane said Tuesday that the judgment incorporated into ECB staff projections was not arbitrary and generally helped steer the forecasts in the right direction.
19 May 2026
By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Gabriel Makhlouf said in a speech that Europe’s Savings and Investments Union would not deliver the productivity gains the bloc needed unless the Single Market itself functioned properly across goods, services and capital.
19 May 2026
By David Barwick – BUDAPEST (Econostream) – Former European Central Bank Governing Council member Klaas Knot on Monday said economic fragmentation required monetary authorities to monitor inflation expectations closely, while avoiding unnecessary damage from excessive policy action.
18 May 2026
By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Governing Council member Joachim Nagel reacted on Monday to losses in the bond market due to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
18 May 2026
By David Barwick – BUDAPEST (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Martin Kocher on Monday said the euro’s international attractiveness had recently increased, citing international debt issuance and foreign demand for Eurozone assets.
18 May 2026
By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Mārtiņš Kazāks said on Monday that the outlook was currently between the baseline and adverse scenarios, adding that the direction of interest rates was “relatively clear” unless the economy suffered a deeper shock.
18 May 2026
By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Boris Vujčić said on Sunday that current conditions in Croatia lie between the baseline and adverse scenarios outlined by the Croatian National Bank, adding that the severe scenario would materialize if the shock persists for several months.
17 May 2026
By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Yannis Stournaras said in an interview that appeared Saturday on Greek website Liberal.gr that a significant but temporary inflation overshoot would call for a measured tightening of monetary policy in the near term, while warning that the ECB could not react mechanically to higher energy prices.
16 May 2026
By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – Econostream’s ECB Tone Meter fluctuated within slightly hawkish territory this week for the Governing Council, ultimately remaining broadly unchanged and ending just a touch more hawkish than last week, while the Executive Board edged more clearly lower but also stayed slightly hawkish.
15 May 2026
By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Mārtiņš Kazāks said on Thursday that if inflation expectations deteriorate the ECB would be “forced” to hike interest rates.
14 May 2026