Germany's Merkel has made no decision on next ECB chief

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday she had taken no decision yet on who she wanted to be the next president of the European Central Bank, adding that discussions were only just starting on top European jobs to be filled next year.

"Discussions about the personal decisions to be made in conjunction with elections to the European Parliament are now slowly starting to take place," she told a news conference on a visit to Georgia.

"That means no decisions at all have been taken and the post of European Central Bank chief is to be filled much later, so I can't confirm any wishes I have. Rather, we will wait for the developments and then see how the German positions develop."