France and Germany near deal on De Cos for ECB top job as EU confirms two candidates

Detailed summary

Two candidates are vying to succeed Christine Lagarde at the ECB, an EU official stated on Friday as EU leaders met in Dublin, while reports coming out of Spain said France and Germany are close to a deal on the central bank's top jobs with Spain's Pablo Hernández de Cos as favourite for president.

Two candidates have been put forward to replace Christine Lagarde at the helm of the European Central Bank, an EU official said on Friday, as EU leaders gathered in Dublin for an informal summit.Spanish daily El País also reported that France and Germany were finalising a deal on the central bank's top jobs, with Spain's Pablo Hernández de Cos as the favourite to become the next president.The official did not name the two candidates, but as Euronews previously reported, the contenders are Pablo Hernández de Cos and former Dutch central bank chief Klaas Knot.The Eurogroup confirmed both nominations last week.European Council President António Costa updated leaders on Friday morning and aims…

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