Fears that European banks have become over-dependent on European Central Bank liquidity injections have been brushed aside by a senior official, despite increasing signs that Spanish banks in particular are gearing operations to take advantage of its extra help.

“I don’t think in any way the banking system is becoming addicted,” said José Manuel González-Páramo, ECB executive board member, in an interview with the Financial Times. “They are now behaving a little bit different than they were behaving before August 2007, but the reasons behind that are quite obvious to everyone.”