The union claimed that the letters represent “an unlawful interference” with fundamental freedoms enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, stating that “Freedom of expression and association are not privileges; they are the foundation of the European project.”
An ECB representative noted that the bank typically does not comment on legal proceedings, but affirmed its “firm commitment to the freedom of expression and the rule of law,” operating within a well-defined employment framework that aligns with EU Staff Regulations and is subject to scrutiny by the European Court of Justice.
The first letter, issued by ECB’s Chief Services Officer Myriam Moufakkir, responded to an interview with union spokesperson Carlos Bowles published in Germany’s Boersen-Zeitung on May 7. In the interview, Bowles warned of a culture of fear possibly leading to self-censorship, conformity, and ineffective policy decisions.
The interview coincided with a period of public introspection among policymakers due to the ECB’s failure to foresee the most severe inflation in decades. It also followed a union survey indicating that about two-thirds of respondents believed advancing within the ECB relied more on being favored by influential figures than on job performance.
IPSO reported that Moufakkir responded with a letter underscoring that staff and union members must avoid publicly discussing a “culture of fear” within the ECB or its impact on the institution’s operations, including its forecasting work, which had come under heavy scrutiny. She accused Bowles of violating his duty of loyalty under the ECB’s code of conduct and advised against making public statements that could harm the ECB’s reputation.
Another letter from Moufakkir, dated August 1 and shared with POLITICO, further explained the ECB’s position. It emphasized that the right of “staff representatives … to address the media without prior approval … applies exclusively to ‘matters falling within their mandate.’ It does not cover the ECB’s management of monetary policy, such as its approach to inflation.”
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