ECB Executive Board member Fabio Panetta warned in an interview that it’s “too soon to declare victory” on coronavirus pandemic. Recent economic data “certainly indicate that we’re making progress”, he said.
“But we need to view these improvements with caution, because they are an effect of the rebound that was to be expected after the earlier disastrous fall in economic activity and reflect the large-scale intervention of economic policies.” “Moreover, they don’t diverge from our forecasts. So they don’t give us sufficient grounds for satisfaction.”
He added that “economic activity is still well below pre-crisis levels”. Based on ECB’s projections “we won’t see a return to those levels before the end of 2022”. Outlook is also uncertain for the economy and jobs while growth is uneven.
Regarding monetary policy, Panetta expects to use the resources available under the PEPP “in full” unless there are “significant upside surprises”. “The programme is working well, and I don’t see any economic reasons to change our decisions or actions.”
