Friday

8th Dec 2023

ECB in nuanced denial of yield cap plans

  • ECB chief Mario Draghi - holding the answer to the eurozone crisis? (Photo: World Economic Forum)

The European Central Bank has failed to outright deny that a bold plan for the bank to bring eurozone government borrowing costs is in the offing.

The Frankfurt-based bank said it was “absolutely misleading to report on decisions which have not yet been taken and also on individual views, which have not yet been discussed by the ECB’s governing council."

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

But the statement implies that the idea to put caps on bond yields - reported in Germany's Der Spiegel - may yet be debated.

According to the report, the bank is considering setting up country-by-country thresholds for sovereign bond yields, after which it would intervene by buying up the stricken states's bonds. The benchmark would be German bonds, seen as the safest in the eurozone.

The idea is extremely sensitive. It is likely to raise complaints that the ECB is overstepping its mandate. It is also set to aggravate a fear - particularly among fiscally prudent states such as Germany - that ailing eurozone countries will lose the incentive to carry out reforms.

A spokesperson for the German finance ministry was quick to criticise the idea.

Saying he was unaware of any such plans, the spokesperson added that "purely theoretically and speaking in the abstract, such an instrument would of course be very problematic."

It is "also wrong to speculate on the shape of future ECB interventions," he said, according to AFP.

Consideration by the bank on how to overcome the crisis come as the borrowing costs for Spain and Italy have in recent weeks been pushed to near unsustainable levels, with investors doubting in the longterm future of the single currency.

Some analysts have suggested that the ECB - with its theoretically limitless capacity to print money - holds to the solution to the eurozone crisis, which has lasted over two years, seen the toppling of several governments, and is now threatening core economies.

An editorial in the Financial Times Deutschland suggests that the interest capping rate idea differs from previous proposed solutions in that it offers a "sustainable" way to stem the crisis.

Germany gets its way on ECB bond-buying

The ECB has said it "may" buy Spanish and Italian bonds, but only if governments first sign reform pledges with the eurozone's bailout fund - a German demand.

Merkel under pressure over ECB banking union role

Angela Merkel is coming under mounting pressure from the Bundesbank and the sister party of her Christian Democrat group to block EU plans to make the European Central Bank the central supervisor of a eurozone banking union.

Spain's Nadia Calviño backed to be EIB's first female chief

With less than a month to go before the start of a new leadership of the European Investment Bank, the world's largest multilateral lender, the path seems finally clear for one of the candidates, Spanish finance minister Nadia Calviño.

Spain's Nadia Calviño backed to be EIB's first female chief

With less than a month to go before the start of a new leadership of the European Investment Bank, the world's largest multilateral lender, the path seems finally clear for one of the candidates, Spanish finance minister Nadia Calviño.

Analysis

Is there hope for the EU and eurozone?

While some strengths may have been overlooked recently, leading to a more pessimistic outlook on the EU and the euro area than the truly deserve, are there reasons for optimism?

Latest News

  1. How Moldova is trying to control tuberculosis
  2. Many problems to solve in Dubai — honesty about them is good
  3. Sudanese fleeing violence find no haven in Egypt or EU
  4. How should EU reform the humanitarian aid system?
  5. EU suggests visa-bans on Israeli settlers, following US example
  6. EU ministers prepare for all-night fiscal debate
  7. Spain's Nadia Calviño backed to be EIB's first female chief
  8. Is there hope for the EU and eurozone?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  3. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  4. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?
  5. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  6. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us