FRANKFURT (MNI) – Eurogroup President Jean-Claude Juncker intends
to continue supporting the nomination of European Central Bank Governing
Council member Yves Mersch for the vacancy on the ECB’s Executive Board,
a Luxembourg newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Juncker, who is also the prime minister of Luxembourg, whose
central bank Mersch heads, told Luxemburger Wort “that he defended this
position in Strasbourg, speaking with EU Parliament President Martin
Schulz and the Chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Sharon Bowles.”
According to the paper, Juncker reported that he had indicated his
support for the idea of gender equality but argued that this was not
grounds for forgoing a candidate already officially nominated.
Mersch was to have a hearing at EU Parliament this past Monday, but
some members of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee canceled it
because of their irritation over the fact that no women had been
considered for the Executive Board position, which has been vacant since
Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo retired in May.
If Mersch’s appointment is confirmed, there would be no woman on
the board for the next six years.
–Frankfurt bureau tel.: +49-69-720142. Email: dbarwick@marketnews.com
[TOPICS: M$X$$$,M$$EC$]
