FT reported on the possibility of an early departure of the head of the ECB from office

The head of the European Central Bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde, may resign before the end of her eight-year term in office, the Financial Times reported on February 18, citing sources.

"The head of the ECB wants to resign before the French presidential election next April <...>. Lagarde wants outgoing French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to find a new head for one of the most important EU institutions," the source told the publication.

The authors of the article report that in Europe, former governor of the central bank of Spain Pablo Hernandez de Cos and his Dutch counterpart Claes Noth are considered the most likely successors to Lagarde.

However, the ECB itself denied rumors about Lagarde's departure and stated that she was "fully focused on her mission and had not made any decisions regarding the end of her term."

On January 21, Lagarde walked out of a private dinner at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos after U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick began sharply criticizing Europe. Latnik made a statement calling on countries to pay attention to coal as the main source of energy, rather than renewable sources. In his speech, he also made disparaging remarks about Europe.

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