Speech by Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, at the Hearing of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament

Brussels, 20 March 2023

I am happy to be back in this Parliament to discuss the ECB’s monetary policy shortly after last week’s Governing Council meeting.

More than one year has now passed since that February morning when we all woke up to the horrifying news of war in Europe. The Russian invasion of Ukraine – which you have selected as a topic for this hearing – is first and foremost a human tragedy for the people of Ukraine.

And in the face of this senseless atrocity, they have shown remarkable resilience and determination. In the words of the former President of this Parliament, José María Gil-Robles, who sadly passed away last month, “The future belongs to those who are prepared to make the effort to hear the voice of hope”.^[1]

As Europeans, we need to continue hearing the voice of hope coming out of Ukraine and support the…