ECB predictions remain if locks will be lifted by end of March, Lagarde says

PHOTO FILE: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde looks forward to a debate on the ECB’s 2018 annual report, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, February 11, 2020. REUTERS / Vincent Kessler / Photo File

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank’s forecast for economic recovery is still this year despite new restrictions on activity in several euro zone countries, as long as these measures are taken by the end of March, ECB President Christine Lagarde said on Wednesday.

“I think our final projections in December are still very plausible,” Lagarde said in an interview at a Reuters Next conference. “Our forecast is based on lock-in measures to the end of the first quarter. ”

She said it would be a “concern” if loops led to economic activity in the second quarter.

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Reciting with Alessandra Galloni, Francesco Canepa and Balazs Koranyi; Edited by Catherine Evans

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