In an interview on March 7, published today, ECB Executive Board Member Benoît Cœuré said the economy slowdown “didn’t come as a surprise” even though it has been “stronger than expected and started sooner”. ECB’s decision last week “don’t represent a turnaround in our policy” but just “carefully calibrated to this diagnosis”. And ECB was just :adjusting to the new reality rather than reversing our course”.
Coeure added “we don’t see signs of a recession at present” and “we don’t see the need” to resume asset purchases. Economic growth is “robust” although it’s “less strong than before”. And it will “take longer for inflation to reach our objective, but it will get there”.
Coeure also said Italy is “in a difficult juncture” and it’s the “only euro area country that is experience a technical recession”. There was no improvement in the labor market and in the long term, Italy’s problem is well known and it’s “productivity growth”. But “I don’t believe that any of this has to do with the euro, otherwise it would be a general problem across the euro area.”
