European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde with Minister for Finance Simon Harris: ECB boss is expected to step down early next year. There has been speculation for a while that ECB president, Christine Lagarde, whose term ends in October 2027, might go early. Who will take over as ECB president, one of the most important EU jobs, is decided by the bloc’s 27 leaders. In the mix will be a number of roles, not just ECB president. Candidates included Finland’s Olli Rehn, Croatia’s central bank governor Boris Vujčić and other names from Portugal, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Source: The Irish Times February 18, 2026 18:07 UTC