European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde said on Thursday that the economic outlook is "clouded by exceptional uncertainty," especially by tariffs imposed by the United States, whose scope "remains unclear." She said that the euro area economy is likely to have grown in the first quarter, with manufacturing showing signs of stabilization. However, she warned tariffs could lead to consumers holding back spending and weak investment.
Lagarde insisted that it is "even more urgent for fiscal and structural policies to make the euro area more competitive, productive and resilient," including completing the savings and investment union and "rapidly" establishing the legislative framework for the possible introduction of the digital euro.
