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European Central Bank (ECB)

Target group

Government, SMEs, Large Enterprises, Cities, Communities & NGOs, Knowledge Centers

Type of funding

No direct funding, Grant, Lump Sum, Loans & Investments, Equity financing, Guarantees, Procurement, Networking

Project type

Research, Innovation, Growth, Start, Infrastructure, Networking, Dissemination

Area

Agriculture and forestry, Bio-based Industries, Biotechnology, Energy, Environment & Climate Action, Food & Healthy Diet, Funding Researchers, Health, ICT Research & Innovation, Innovation, International Cooperation, Key Enabling Technologies, Oceans and seas, Partnerships with Industry & MS, Plastics, Raw Materials, Research Infrastructures, Security, SMEs, Social Sciences and Humanities, Society, Space, The European Research Area (ERA), Transport, Manufacturing, Culture & Creativity

Info last updated 2 months ago

Summary

The European Central Bank is the central bank for the euro area

Budget

Not Applicable

Official information source

https://www.ecb.europa.eu/home/html/index.en.html

Description

About

Here at the European Central Bank (ECB), we work to keep prices stable in the euro area. We do this so that you will be able to buy as much with your money tomorrow as you can today.

We also contribute to the safety and soundness of the European banking system. This helps to ensure that your money stays safe in the bank.

The European Central Bank is the central bank for the euro area

The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank of the 19 European Union countries which have adopted the euro. Our main task is to maintain price stability in the euro area and so preserve the purchasing power of the single currency.

What kind of organisation is the ECB?

The ECB is an official EU institution at the heart of the Eurosystem as well as the Single Supervisory Mechanism for banking supervision. Find out how we are organised and learn who is who in the Governing Council, the main decision-making body.

More than 3,500 staff from all over Europe work for the ECB in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. They perform a range of tasks in close cooperation with the national central banks within the Eurosystem and, for banking supervision, with the national supervisors within the Single Supervisory Mechanism.

Decision-making
Organisation chart of the ECB

The mission of the ECB

Our mission is to serve the people of Europe by safeguarding the value of the euro and maintaining price stability. Find out more about the mission of the ECB, the Eurosystem and the Single Supervisory Mechanism.

Mission statement

What are our tasks?

We define and implement monetary policy for the euro area and carry out a number of other tasks, including banking supervision.

Tasks of the ECB
ECB, ESCB and the Eurosystem

Accountability towards the people of Europe

We work for the people of Europe and are formally accountable to them through the European Parliament. The European Union Treaties specify the different channels of accountability, which include the publication of an Annual Report.

Accountability
Annual Report

What the European Central Bank does and what it means for you

Will the euros in your pocket buy you as much tomorrow as they do today? Can you rely on your bank in good times and bad? There are 4,000 of us working here at the ECB to make sure the answer to these questions is a resounding yes!

We’re based in Frankfurt but we’re from all over Europe, speaking 24 different languages. We also work closely with colleagues from the central bank in your euro area country. Read on to find out ten ways our work relates to you.