18/04/2018 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 18 April, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced that its President, Mario Draghi, would continue to be a member of the 'Group of 30' (G30), a private organisation that defines itself as a "discussion forum" whose members are public and private sector bankers. This decision goes against the European Ombudsman's recommendation in February (see EUROPE 11941) that Draghi suspend his G30 membership until the end of his term in office. “The ECB continues to consider the President's membership of the G30 to be fully compatible with the independence, reputation and integrity of the institution and, most importantly, to consider that this does not entail any conflict of interest”, the ECB writes in response to the recommendation. The plaintiff association, the NGO Corporate Europe Observatory, criticised the decision as dangerously incautious and is already considering its next steps. (MF)