French President Macron gives 'full support' for latest ECB measures

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday gave his full backing for the European Central Bank's (ECB) latest monetary stimulus measures aimed at helping the euro zone fight the global coronavirus crisis. "Full support for the exceptional measures taken this evening by the ECB. It is now up to us, the European states, to step up to the plate via our budgetary interventions and to show a bigger financial solidarity at the heart of the euro zone," wrote Macron on Twitter.

The European Central Bank launched new bond purchases worth 750 billion euros ($817.1 billion) at an emergency meeting late on Wednesday in a bid to stop a pandemic-induced financial rout shredding the euro zone's economy. ($1 = 0.9179 euros)