Im Anschluss an seinen Vortrag beim Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (IMFS) am 14. September 2017 beantwortete der Bundesbankpräsident Fragen aus dem Publikum.

President Jens Weidmann pointed out that the experts were forecasting only a slow recovery when measured against the sudden slump experienced: “Economic activity is expected to return to its pre-crisis level only towards the end of 2022,” he noted. Nevertheless, he is not anticipating any major long-term harm for the economy’s potential output, albeit based on the assumption that a medical solution to combat the pandemic will be available in the middle of next year.  

The virtual conference “Future of Payments in Europe” – the centrepiece of our virtual event series – discussed different perspectives on the latest developments in European payments, most importantly the Retail Payments Strategy of the European Commission, the European Payments Initiative and the potential role of a digital euro in the payments landscape. 

In a speech in Rome Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann pointed out that, in order to permanently stabilise the euro area, action and liability again must be aligned. This principle should apply not only to banks, but also for policy decisions in the euro area.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann voiced his opposition to proposals for economic policy measures to counteract German current account surpluses. It would be "absurd", Weidmann said, to discuss measures aimed at artificially weakening German competitiveness.

Speaking at a symposium in Frankfurt, Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann told the audience that it was essential to repeatedly emphasise the importance of price stability in times of low inflation. Monetary policymakers would, he said, require the full backing of the public if rising inflation required them to once again tighten the monetary reins.

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has called for the greater integration of European financial markets. Higher capital requirements for systemically important financial institutions, a functioning resolution mechanism, an end to the preferential regulatory treatment of sovereign debt and the removal of regulatory and tax barriers for capital markets - particularly for equity capital markets - are key prerequisites for this, he said.