European Central Bank (ECB) president Jean-Claude Trichet’s indication last Friday that eurozone interest rates are about to rise continues to make waves.

Yesterday the EU Observer had a piece indicating the Eurozone finance ministers were not amused, and today we have a retaliatory piece were Trichet explains theat the ECB is the ‘listening’ people bank, which is simply responding to citizen concern about ongoing price rises.

The FT made clear yesterday that the decision to raise just now was not going down well in Berlin, where the incoming government now faces the prospects of introducing a strict fiscal policy at a time of monetary tightening, and when the impact of the recent oil price rise is likely to be pinching the already pinched pocket of the German consumer.

Meantime, as the FT today explains, Trichet is feeling the heat, since he has come out and stated that the ” European Central Bank has no plans to implement a series of interest rates rises” (ie no US-style measured pace).

Plenty of material here for an Afoe post if I find the time later today.