Europe
Four more countries face stability pact scrutiny
The European Commission has put Britain and the Netherlands under formal surveillance for letting their budget deficits breach an EU target. It also issued a warning to Italy and said it expected Greece to breach the limit.
Independent evaluation of ECB research activities
The ECB released a report on Wednesday 7 April of an evaluation of the economic research activities at the ECB. The report provides a positive assessment of the research conducted at the ECB on several criteria, including scientific quality and relevance…
ECB accepts planned accounting rules
A report said that the European Central Bank is no longer worried over the introduction of planned accounting rules to help improve transparency in financial reports.
ECB appointee against short-term rate changes
European Central Bank appointee Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo has said he opposes "short-term" interest rate moves to stimulate growth.
Hearing set for ECB Board candidate
A hearing for the nominee for a position at the Executive Board of the ECB will take place on Tuesday 6 April.
Fire alarm halts ECB press conference
The ECB's monthly news conference in its Eurotower headquarters on Thursday 1 April was interrupted temporarily by a fire alarm.
ECB opinion of proposed member of Executive Board
At the 1 April meeting of the Governing Council of the ECB it adopted an opinion on a recommendation from the Council of the European Union on the appointment of a new member of its Executive Board.
ECB questions and answers
The European Central Bank held interest rates unchanged at its meeting on 1 April. Jean-Claude Trichet told the afternoon press conference the ECB's key rates remain "in line with the maintenance of price stability" in the eurozone, although recent…
Eurozone inflation remains at four-year low
Inflation in the 12-nation eurozone stood at a four-year low point of 1.6 percent in March, unchanged from February, Eurostat said in a preliminary estimate on Wednesday 31 March.
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.