30/01/2019 (Agence Europe) – Philip Lane, the current Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, is the only declared candidate for the position of Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB). Member States had until Wednesday 30 January to nominate a candidate, with a vacancy to be filled on 31 May with the end of the mandate of Peter Praet, Chief Economist and Member of the Executive Board. The official candidate of the Eurogroup will be appointed in February and will be heard by the European Parliament, before a final decision by the European Council in March. Mr Lane's candidacy was announced by Paschal Donohoe, the Irish Minister of Finance, on 21 January when he arrived at the Eurogroup meeting (see EUROPE 12176). Last year, Mr Lane withdrew from the race for ECB Vice-President against former Spanish Finance Minister Luis de Guindos (see EUROPE 11964). (LT)