European Central Bank

The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank for the nineteen European Union member states that use the euro as their official currency. The European Central Bank's primary commitment is to preserve the stability of prices in the eurozone in order to maintain the purchasing power of the euro. The European Central Bank defines and carries out the eurozone's economic and monetary policy.

The 19 countries that have adopted the euro as their official currency are: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, and Portugal.