According to Bavarian daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, two ECB directors have “very frequently taken their partners along at the expense of the Central Bank in recent years. They are Sabine Lautenschläger, who took early retirement in the autumn, and the current director Yves Mersch,” the article published on 19 February states.

Mersch has been a member of the ECB's Executive Board since the end of 2012 and was appointed vice president of the ECB's supervisory board in October 2019.

The President of the ECB, Christine Lagarde, and the other five members of the ECB's Executive Board have the possibility of taking their spouses on business trips at the expense of the ECB, subject to certain conditions.

The ECB confirmed to the German newspaper that the travel expenses of directors' partners are covered in certain cases, provided that they have received an invitation from their hosts and that the spouse’s visit “is in the interest of the service and in line with international practice.”

Although the practice is authorised by the ECB, the German daily learns that it is causing internal discontent, especially since the ECB directors also enjoy other benefits linked to their status as European officials, and a salary of around €300,000 per year.