© Tim Wegner

Since September 2018, Burkhard Balz has been the Bundesbank Executive Board member responsible for the Centre for International Central Bank Dialogue (CIC), which involves managing the Bundesbank’s external image at the global level. In doing so, he has made a seamless transition from his international tasks as a Member of the European Parliament, a role which took him from Brussels and Europe all the way to the ASEAN countries and IMF meetings as part of parliamentary delegations. In his new function, he can already draw on a tight network of international contacts extending into the highest political spheres for the benefit of the Bundesbank.

Mr Balz believes that a high-quality offering from the CIC is vitally important to the Bundesbank’s international standing. It serves as a platform to open up dialogue on current central banking issues, learn from one another and develop shared ideas – ultimately with the joint objective of contributing to international stability. The importance of maintaining these contacts at all hierarchical levels should not be underestimated, according to Mr Balz, because it is precisely this that ensures the desired permanent dialogue between the decision-makers. For him, it is therefore second nature to add personal input to international central bank dialogue wherever possible.