Belgische minister genoemd als nieuwe voorzitter Eurogroep
Belgian finance minister Didier Reynders could succeed Luxembourg's premier Jean-Claude Juncker as the next president of the eurogroup – the club of EU countries using the euro - according to press reports.
Mr Reynders told French daily Le Monde he would do it "gladly, provided that there is a consensus on my name," the paper reported on Wednesday (4 June).
The Belgian minister has had a seat in the eurogroup almost as long as that of Mr Juncker himself, and is reported to have the support of several member states, particularly France.
Mr Reynders has views close to those of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and both men have criticised the European Central Bank before.
In 2001, Mr Reynders had clashed with the then ECB president, Wim Duisenberg, over the orientation the bank's monetary policy should follow, calling for a more relaxed monetary policy.
Last year, he again raised a criticism, telling French financial daily Les Echos: "What strikes me often is to hear ECB officials explain how the situation has changed, how it is worrying, and [then] do nothing about it."
For his part, Mr Sarkozy has repeatedly criticised the ECB for its monetary policy, and drawn fire from other member states, in particular Germany, for trying to interfere with the bank's affairs and curb its independence.
Besides Mr Reynders' interest in the post however, his spokesperson has affirmed that he is not yet a candidate, "neither official, nor unofficial," and prefers first to see how his counterparts feel about his possible appointment, writes La Libre Belgique on Thursday (5 June).
Other potential candidates for Mr Juncker's succession include Spanish finance minister Pedro Solbes, who is also a former EU economic and finance affairs commissioner, as well as Dutch finance minister Wouter Bos, according to French and Belgian media.
Mr Juncker himself has already completed two terms of 2.5 years each at the head of the eurogroup and is not planning to run for a third one.
A decision on the matter is to be taken in September – under the French EU presidency, during an informal meeting of EU finance ministers in Nice.