Brussels, 02/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - the European Central Bank (ECB) decided on Thursday to keep its interest rates unchanged. The main rate of refinancing remains at the level set on 5 June - 2%. The deposit facility rate and that of the marginal loan rate remain respectively 1% and 3%. During the press conference, ECB President, Wim Duisenburg, presiding his last Governors Council meeting before stepping down for Jean-Claude Trichet next month explained that the level of interest rates remained "appropriate" for some time to come. He was cautiously optimistic in his analysis on the Euro zone economy and reckoned that recovery perspectives did not require a change in lending rates. Responding to question on budgetary policy, the President of the ECB said that a recession would not require putting brakes on the 3% GDP limit in any way that was part of the Stability Pact. This was a reference to the difficulties experienced by France, and Germany. He added that some countries were really in a danger zone and Italy was one of them.