Spain has nominated Pablo Hernandez de Cos, Pierrakakis said, while the Netherlands has nominated Klaas Knot. The two countries’ ministers were expected to present their candidates at the meeting.
A tight calendar
Lagarde has said she will remain in office until 7 February. Pierrakakis described the timetable for choosing her successor as very tight. “Our goal is for the entire process to be completed by the end of the year,” he said.
Pierrakakis said the selection has historically been a leader-led process built on political consensus among member states, and he expects the same approach this time. He added that today’s discussion among ministers was mainly informational rather than decisive.
Three posts at once
There are three positions at the ECB due to be filled in the same period, Pierrakakis noted, and he said agreement on a package covering all three may be possible.
The euro traded at $1.1189 as of 9 November 2026, 12:37 GMT. Separately, speculators’ net short euro position widened to 157,791 contracts in the week to 3 November, up from 143,894 contracts a week earlier, according to CFTC data.
Related: Spain nominates BIS chief Hernandez de Cos for ECB presidency
Data: Swissquote · CFTC
