European finance ministers warned Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday to stop undermining the European Central Bank by blaming it for France’s economic problems.

They defended the bank’s independence and told the incoming French president that there was no enthusiasm for his election calls for the ECB’s mandate to be amended to focus on creating jobs and growth as well as fighting inflation. Mr Sarkozy’s desire to make the bank’s interest rate decisions more open to influence through a dialogue with politicians was denounced by finance ministers during a two-day meeting in Brussels.