ECB's Lagarde says medium-term 2.0% inflation goal is non-negotiable
The head of the European Central Bank said that the monetary authority's goal of returning of inflation back to 2% over the medium-term was "non-negotiable".
However, the ECB would help financial markets should threats to their stability emerge.
"We will do so by following a robust strategy that is data-dependent and embeds a readiness to act, but that does not entertain trade-offs around our primary objective," Christine Lagarde told a conference of ECB watchers.
As regards inflation, the ECB's chief focused on underlying inflation, saying that there wasn't clear evidence that it was trending downwards.
Declines in energy prices were weakening but higher domestic price pressures might offset some of that disinflationary impulse, she added.
Reiterating her stance from the ECB's last policy meeting, Lagarde said that should the central bank's baseline forecasts hold then policymakers had "ground to cover".
Speaking at the same venue, ECB chief economist, Philip Lane, chipped in saying: "I would agree with the phrasing the president used — if the baseline holds up, absolutely there’s more to do.
"But we will have lots of time between now and the May decision to look at that."