Christine Lagarde to step down early as ECB president
Lagarde will leave the European Central Bank on February 7, 2027, about eight months before her term was due to expire.
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde has announced that she will leave office before completing her mandate. Radio Svoboda (svoboda.org) reported the decision on Thursday, October 29.
The ECB said the 70-year-old former head of the International Monetary Fund will step down on February 7, 2027. Lagarde has led the central bank since November 2019, and her term would ordinarily have continued until October 2027.
Lagarde said she wanted greater freedom to speak publicly and engage in debates extending beyond monetary policy. She noted that senior ECB officials are bound by strict neutrality requirements while serving in office.
Her successor is to be selected by the European Council under the nomination process set out in Article 283 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. DPA reported that the accelerated timetable could allow French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to address the appointment before France’s April 2027 elections.