Eurozone sets 6 November deadline for nominations to succeed Lagarde
The European Council will make the final choice of central bank president, with Pablo Hernández de Cos and Klaas Knot the frontrunners.
Eurozone countries have been asked to submit nominations for the next European Central Bank (ECB) president by 6 November 2026, a Eurogroup spokesperson said on 3 November. Christine Lagarde has announced her departure by 7 February 2027.
The spokesperson said the Council of the EU had started the succession procedure. Kyriakos Pierrakakis, who heads the Eurogroup, has called for nominations from member states. The Eurogroup brings together eurozone finance ministers in an informal forum.
An EU official said ministers would discuss the candidates on 9 November, alongside the procedure for filling all three posts becoming vacant on the ECB executive board. The other departures are Isabel Schnabel, who is joining the IMF in January, and chief economist Philip Lane, whose term is set to end in May.
Responsibility for choosing Lagarde’s successor ultimately lies with the European Council, comprising national heads of state and government. Spain’s Pablo Hernández de Cos and the Netherlands’ Klaas Knot are the two leading contenders.
