Dublin, 22/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - During his press conference after the meeting of the European Central Bank Board of Governors, on Thursday in Dublin (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.9), the Bank President Wim Duisenberg, answered, to the question of knowing if the ECB definition on price stability - 2% - is not too strict: We do not feel the need to revise our intentions or targets. During the next plenary session of the European Parliament, on 3 July in Strasbourg, Mr Duisenberg will talk with the MEPs on these issues, and we can expect a heated debate, the close approval, in committee, of the report by Randzio-Plath, calling on the ECB to re-examin its policy for the defining of price stability (see EUROPE of 21 June, p.7).
Furthermore, questioned over the inflationary pressure that may stem from the weak Euro exchange rate, Mr Duisenberg replied: The longer the Euro remains stable, the lower the risk. It is not a threat that concerns us a great deal at this time.