European Union leaders today unanimously confirmed Bank of France governor Mr Jean-Claude Trichet as candidate for president of the European Central Bank, an aide to French President Jacques Chirac said.
The aide said the leaders added a statement to the EU summit conclusions reaffirming their support for Mr Trichet's candidacy after a Paris court cleared him this week of financial irregularities in a 1990s French banking scandal.
"We confirm the candidacy of Mr Jean-Claude Trichet for president of the European Central Bank," the statement said, according to a Greek presidency official.
"The appointment will follow procedures prescribed by article 112 of the Treaty."
That means Mr Trichet must be approved by EU finance ministers, probably at their next meeting in mid-July, and confirmed by an EU summit after a confirmation hearing in the European Parliament, likely to be in early September.
The procedure is likely to be completed in mid-October, enabling Mr Trichet, architect of the strong franc policy that helped pave the way for the euro single currency, to succeed retiring ECB president Mr Wim Duisenberg of the Netherlands.
Unlike Mr Duisenberg, appointed in 1998, Mr Trichet, 60, is expected to serve a full eight-year term as the world's second most powerful central banker.