ECB President Christine Lagarde said this on Thursday.
“Looking ahead, we expect the decline to continue, with growth stabilizing at just above 2% by the end of 2026,” Lagarde told a committee of the European Parliament.
Lagarde reiterated the ECB’s forecast that overall inflation will move closer to the 2% target in the medium term as wage growth slows and the economy thrives despite the difficult trade environment, investing.com wrote.
The overall trend points to a gradual easing of price pressures, although the path to that in advanced economies may be choppy. In emerging economies, it may be belated.
According to current forecasts for 2026, food inflation is expected to gradually slow down in most CIS countries as well, although performance varies depending on regional specifics and central bank measures.
In January 2026, the year-on-year increase in food prices in Moldova amounted to 6.2%. The NBM forecasts that food prices will continue to rise despite a general slowdown in inflation. The annual inflation rate will return to the target corridor (5% ± 1.5 p.p.) in the first quarter of 2026 and will remain there until the end of the year.
