Economics
Merkel Focused on Top EU Job Over ECB Role, Handelsblatt Says
- Newspaper reports chancellor discussed role with Weidmann
- Bundesbank boss is seen as a frontrunner by many economists
Jens Weidmann, president of the Deutsche Bundesbank
Photographer: Alex Kraus/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Angela Merkel is prioritizing securing the European Commission presidency for Germany instead of the top job at the European Central Bank, according to Handelsblatt.
Such a move would undermine the chances of Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann succeeding Mario Draghi, whose term ends in October 2019. Weidmann, 50, has been seen as the frontrunner by many economists, in part because Germany has never held the presidency despite being the region’s largest economy.