by Francesco Canepa
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Staff at the European Central Bank (ECB) believe 53.5% that Christine Lagarde is not the right person to lead the institution, according to a survey by the union representing them (IPSO) made public on Monday .
The rate of confidence in the direction of the ECB is down compared to the previous survey carried out a year ago, with 59% of respondents expressing a negative opinion compared to 40% in 2023, according to data from the International and European public services organization.
Former French minister Christine Lagarde took office as head of the ECB in September 2019 for an eight-year term, after leading the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Nearly 64% of some 1,100 people questioned believe that Christine Lagarde has not improved the reputation of the ECB.
53.5% consider that Christine Lagarde is not the right person for the ECB, compared to 22.8% who believe the opposite – 23.8% of those questioned said they had no opinion.
An unprecedented score, according to IPSO, which notes that Christine Lagarde’s predecessors, Jean-Claude Trichet and Mario Draghi, received a majority of positive opinions.
According to the IPSO survey, the main concerns of staff are working conditions and salaries.
The ECB employs more than 3,500 people who elect nine staff delegates. Six of them come from the ranks of IPSO.
An ECB spokesperson denounced a biased study.
The ECB presidency is “focused on its mandate and has implemented policies to respond to unprecedented events in recent years, such as the (Covid) pandemic and wars,” he stressed.
(French version Sophie Louet, edited by Blandine Hénault)
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