“We will assess this jointly and, if there is an opportunity to propose a Portuguese candidate for one of these positions, we will not fail to do so,” Joaquim Miranda Sarmento said.

Speaking to Portuguese journalists in Brussels on the day the Eurogroup reviews candidates to succeed Christine Lagarde as ECB President, while also considering a possible package assessment of the institution’s other vacancies, the Portuguese Minister pointed out that “in reality, if the Dutch candidate wins, there could be four vacancies, because there is a Dutch member on the board who would have to leave”, referring to Frank Elderson.

“This is something we will assess, which is also why our decision on whom to support has not yet been made,” Joaquim Miranda Sarmento said.

The candidates in the race for the ECB presidency are Spain’s Pablo Hernández de Cos and the Netherlands’ Klaas Knot, whose candidacies the Eurogroup will assess at its meeting in Brussels.

The meeting will also review the institution’s other Executive Board vacancies, although no decision is expected at this stage.

Set The Portugal News as your preferred source for news on Google

GoogleAdd as a preferred source on Google