Eurozone inflation will ‘take some time’ to drop
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that inflation in the eurozone, which remains persistently high, will not quickly fall to the European Central Bank's two-percent target.
"We know that returning to the ECB's medium-term target will take some time," she said during a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The annual rate of inflation in the eurozone reached 5.3 percent in August, below a peak of 10.6 percent in October last year.
The European Commission predicted inflation would fall to 2.9 percent in 2024 in its latest forecast published on Monday.
Von der Leyen praised ECB chief Christine Lagarde and the Frankfurt-based bank, saying they were "working hard to keep inflation under control".
All eyes are on the ECB ahead of Thursday's meeting, with divided opinions on whether it will raise interest rates or pause its historic hiking cycle. During her speech, von der Leyen also welcomed falling energy prices.
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