Euro zone countries threw their weight behind the European Central Bank today, dismissing the prospect of any change to its main mission as an inflation-fighter.
The ECB, which lifted rates to a five-year high in December, has come under sustained attack from French politicians on the left and the right in recent months in the run-up to presidential elections in April and May.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a conference in Berlin she was following the discussion in France about the ECB with "great concern".
"We need the political independence of the European Central Bank," said Ms Merkel, whose country holds the European Union's rotating presidency for the first half of this year.
"It is the basis for the acceptance of the euro in the member states. I am deeply convinced of that."
Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said euro zone finance ministers had made it clear they did not share French criticism of the ECB and would not back any bid to make the bank focus more on economic growth rather than price stability.
"We have discussed with our French colleagues from both sides and we are explaining to our French counterparts that the independence of the ECB cannot be submitted to questioning," said Mr Juncker, who chaired dinner talks of euro zone finance ministers yesterday in Brussels.
"And there is no chance at all to give some changes to the treaty, (to) change the mandate," he said. French Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal urged the ECB this month to consider the impact of interest rate changes on growth and centre-right rival Nicolas Sarkozy has said the euro was overvalued, damaging industry.
The ECB's mandate is enshrined in the Maastricht treaty - its primary objective is to maintain price stability and its secondary goal is growth-support - and any change would require support from all 27 EU members.
Greek Finance Minister Georgios Alogoskoufis said the ECB was doing a good job and there was little chance of changing its mandate. "I don't think a change to the mandate is even desirable," he told reporters in Brussels.