European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde has said she will resign her position nine months early to speak freely on hot-button issues beyond monetary policy.

Ms Lagarde, 70, said the rules of neutrality governing her job at the central bank had kept her silent for far too long. She will step down on February 7, 2027, instead of October 2027, when she was originally scheduled to leave office.

“I want to have the freedom of speech, the freedom of expression and the freedom to engage on matters that are not monetary policy matters,” Ms Lagarde said in a statement on Thursday.

Ms Lagarde, who became ECB president in 2019, explained that her departure from the top job would give her the freedom to express herself on hot-button issues affecting Europe and, by extension, the world, without inhibitions.

“We have an obligation of neutrality, we comment on the situation with the focus on monetary policy,” the ECB president said.

“There are things that I can say – whether people will listen or not is another story. But I feel that I ⁠should say those things and I cannot do so in my current ​position.”

Her resignation comes at a time when Europe is grappling with rising costs.

French President Emmanuel Macron thanked Ms Lagarde and indicated that plans for her succession should be conducted in “an orderly and balanced way.”

“The transition in the leadership of the ECB must now be prepared in an orderly and balanced manner, in coordination with our European partners,” Mr Macron said.