Europe
Eurozone to recover despite mixed signals
Slow consumer spending is casting a shadow over the short-term outlook for the eurozone economy, the European Commission said in a report, agreeing with concerns expressed by the European Central Bank.
OeNB's Liebscher: reviving the European economy
Klaus Liebscher gives his view of the euro as a success story and discusses the areas he believes must be addressed to revive the Lisbon Agenda.
Solbes: Eurozone recovery slowly moving ahead
EU economic commissioner Pedro Solbes said on Monday 29 March that recovery in the eurozone is "slowly gaining momentum" but the euro's rally and depressed consumer confidence are brakes on growth.
ECB remains vigilent but expects recovery
ECB executive board member Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell said in an interview Friday that the ECB still believes the eurozone economy will recover, but remains vigilant for any issues that could change that assessment.
Welteke dashes hopes of ECB rate cut
Bundesbank president and European Central Bank (ECB) governing council member Ernst Welteke sought in a TV interview to dampen hopes for an interest rate cut.
ECB's Tumpel-Gugerell on an enlarged EU
In a speech 'Enlarged EU - Financial Strength and Weakness from a Global Perspective' given on 23 March, Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell of the ECB said that while structural reforms, particularly of the labour markets, were needed in Europe, governments should…
Interview with ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet
In an interview with a German newspaper, Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank, signalled his concern for the eurozone economy. He also said that consumer confidence in the euro zone was weaker than it should be at this stage of an…
Padoa-Schioppa on the evolving financial landscape
In a speech on 'The evolving European financial landscape: integration and regulation' given on 22 March, Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa of the ECB provides an overview of the role of public policy in fostering integration and stability in the EU financial…
ECB loses EUR5.6bn on forex holdings in 2003
The weakness of the dollar has hit the European Central Bank hard in 2003, forcing the bank to declare a loss, and claw back dividend payments from its national central bank shareholders.
Revision phase of the 'New ECB Premises' project
The ECB has chosen participants for the revision phase of the "New ECB Premises" project, 18 March. The main purpose of the revision phase is to review the design proposals to take account of the recommendations and requirements of the jury.
Eurozone inflation slows to 1.6 percent
Eurozone annual inflation slowed to 1.6 per cent in February, its lowest level since November 1999, data from the European Union's statistics agency showed on Wednesday 17 March.
ECB set to maintain neutral rates stance
The European Central Bank will maintain its "wait and see" stance on interest rates amid mixed signals on growth and consumer confidence, ECB governing council member Yves Mersch says.
Deficits of six future EU members broke EU rules
Six of the 10 countries to join the European Union in May had public deficits greater than those allowed by the EU's Stability and Growth Pact, EU data published on Tuesday 16 March showed.
Second ECB conference on statistics
The European Central Bank confirmed on Thursday 11 March that it will hold its second conference on statistics on 22 and 23 April 2004 in Frankfurt on "Statistics and their use for monetary and economic policy-making".
Padoa-Schioppa: Low eurozone growth not ECB fault
Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa said in an interview that low economic growth in the eurozone is not due to the ECB's current monetary policy, adding that interest rates are already low.
ECB Monthly Bulletin, March 2004
The European Central Bank published its March 2004 Monthly Bulletin on 11 March. The Bulletin reported that the main scenario of a continued gradual recovery in the course of 2004 and 2005 remains valid.
Paris seminar on the EU accession process
The fifth central bank seminar on the European Union (EU) accession process was held in Paris on 4 and 5 March 2004. The purpose of this seminar was to exchange views on important central banking issues ahead of EU accession.
Euro central banks reach new gold sales agreement
European central banks said on Monday 8 March that they had reached a new agreement that increases the limits on their annual gold sales to 500 tons annually over the next five years.
Ireland, Belgium likely to lose bid for ECB seat
Ireland and Belgium look set to lose their battle to win a seat on the six person executive board of the European Central Bank (ECB). Eurozone finance ministers were due to discuss the position on Monday evening, 8 March, with Spain's Jose Manuel…
ECB board member confirmation hearing in April
The European Parliament said on Wednesday 3 March that it will hold a confirmation hearing with the nominee for the ECB's soon to be vacant seat. It spoke of a broadening of backgrounds which "would come from board members with an academic or…
Trichet on the EU accession process
Speaking at the 'Paris seminar on the EU accession process' on 4 March, Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB said that as European central bankers, our destiny is intertwined with the destiny of our continent. As Europe is being rebuilt and reunited, so we are…
Trichet firm on ECB's independence
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said at the ECB's post- meeting press conference on Thursday 4 March that the bank should never be influenced by political pressure when it takes interest rate decisions.
The ECB's new headquarters may bring image change
This article looks at the ECB's new HQ plans and examines other central banks' architecture. The Bank of Japan's main office looks suspiciously like the Bank of England which has a grand, imperial flavour, it says. Then there's the Federal Reserve with a…
Padoa-Schioppa on building on the euro's success
In a speech on 'Building on the euro's success' given on 26 February, Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa of the ECB said the rampant euro proved the eurozone was doing its bit to ease global imbalances and scalded Asia for fixed currency regimes. By operating a peg…