FLORENCE: Europe is not at risk of sliding into “full deflation” but the current rate of inflation is dangerously low, European Central Bank Vice President Vitor Constancio said on Saturday.

Many fear the eurozone, where annual inflation fell far short of the ECB’s medium-term target in October, could be set for a Japanese-style lost decade of deflation and recession.

During a debate in central Italy, Constancio said he did not think “that in Europe there is the risk of falling into full deflation” because nominal salaries would have to fall in all member countries “and this cannot happen”.

It was not immediately clear what he meant by “full deflation”.

Constancio echoed a pledge made by ECB President Mario Draghi on Friday to take action to raise inflation, which ran at 0.4 per cent in the single currency bloc last month.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2014