The first vice president and minister of Economy, Trade and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, assured this Wednesday that the former governor of the Bank of Spain and current general director of the Bank for International Settlements, Pablo Hernández de Cos, has options to reach the presidency of the European Central Bank (ECB), a goal for which the Executive is working "very actively".
In an interview on RNE, in statements collected by Europa Press, Cuerpo explained that Spain currently has an "excellent window of opportunity" to try to get Hernández de Cos to assume the presidency of the ECB.
The head of Economy defended that now it is "time" for Spain to take on a responsibility of this level within the Governing Council of the monetary authority, recalling that to date no Spaniard has held that position.
"We believe that yes (that he has possibilities), and that is why we are pushing very actively," Cuerpo insisted, emphasizing that, unlike Spain, countries like Italy, France, Portugal, or the Netherlands have already had one of their nationals at the head of the European central bank.
In this line, the minister has highlighted that the Spanish aspiration is based not only on presenting "an excellent candidate," but also on the strength of the macroeconomic situation of the country and on the weight that Spanish representation has acquired in the community debate.
Cuerpo has emphasized "not only the good situation, the good evolution of the Spanish economy, but the central role that Spain is playing in all European discussions," and has remarked that the combination of these elements places the country in an optimal position "to be able to fight for that presidency of the European Central Bank."