Luxembourg central banker Yves Mersch has been formally appointed as a member of the ECB board. This is how the European Council expressed itself (only the members of the Eurozone voted) once the existence of a qualified majority was ascertained.
Spain has tried to hinder the appointment for flag reasons: Mersch has replaced the Spanish Josè Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo since mid-December and the Iberian government believes that this choice does not respect the geographical and demographic balance at the top of the European central bank. Eurogroup President Jean Claude Juncker told reporters that Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy spoke out against the appointment. The '17' proceeded as expected despite the rejection of the European Parliament due to the absence of female candidates.
