ECB asks EU leaders to begin search for successor to chief economist Lane

The ECB's chief economist shapes the analytical framework behind rate decisions, so opening a succession process while Lane is still in the role signals a deliberate, early transition rather than a crisis response. The lack of a timeline or named candidates leaves the policy direction of the ECB's economic analysis genuinely uncertain, which matters for how markets read future staff forecasts and reaction functions. Whether the search produces a continuity candidate or a shift in thinking is the open question worth watching.