“We were very unsatisfied with the position which was taken by the Hungarian government,” Trichet said. The ECB has cautioned Hungary’s center-right Fidesz government about not respecting the independence of the country’s central bank.

“We have to study the case and see exactly what is the next legal step that would be optimum. I don’t exclude any options, including of course the fact that the commission could move and sue,” Trichet said, adding that it was not the ECB’s decision.