The next vice-president of the European Central Bank, replacing retiring Frenchman Mr Christian Noyer, does not have to be French, EU Monetary Affairs Commissioner Mr Pedro Solbes said today.
Mr Solbes told a conference of the current Spanish presidency of EU ministerial meetings: "Christian Noyer is French, but nothing says that a French national has to replace him".
His successor could be French or could come from any euro-zone country which was not represented on the managing board of the central bank.
Mr Noyer is due to leave office at the end of May.
Mr Solbes said he supposed a decision on the successor would be taken at the European council meeting of EU heads of state and government leaders at Barcelona, Spain, in March, but might be taken later.
Mr Solbes also said that Mr Wim Duisenberg had been appointed president of the ECB for eight years and that there was no need for the moment to discuss his successor.
This remark by Mr Solbes is significant because France believes it has an understanding that Mr Duisenberg would resign half-way through his term, this year, to make way for the governor of the Bank of France, Mr Jean-Claude Trichet.
France had launched Mr Trichet as a rival to Mr Duisenberg when the first president of the ECB was about to be appointed.
Mr Duisenberg won against the unexpected candidature, but France holds that the appointment involved an understanding that Mr Duisenberg would make way for Mr Trichet, even though the Maastricht treaty states that the appointment is for eight years.
AFP