Our values
Our values guide how we work and how we serve the public. They shape our decisions, our behaviour and the way we carry out our mandate as Europe’s central bank. By acting independently, transparently, accountably and with integrity, we aim to earn and maintain public trust.
What guides our decisions
Independence
We are an independent institution with the primary mandate of maintaining price stability in the euro area. We do not take instructions from politicians but focus on fulfilling our mandate in order to serve the public.
About our independenceAccountability
We are accountable to the people of Europe through the European Parliament and other EU institutions. We report on our work and explain our decisions so that our performance can be assessed in line with our mandate.
How we are accountableTransparency
We provide clear and timely information on our strategy, assessments and policy decisions. This helps people understand our actions and supports confidence in our policies.
Our transparency practicesIntegrity
We perform our duties impartially and with integrity. Our staff adhere to strict ethical standards to avoid conflicts of interest and uphold trust in the ECB as a public institution.
Our ethics framework