Latvijas Banka's Černaja-Mežmale elected Vice-Chair of European Banking Authority
The European Banking Authority's Board of Supervisors has elected Latvijas Banka Board member Kristīne Černaja-Mežmale as Vice-Chair for a two-and-a-half-year term. She takes up the post on 1 November 2026.
The Board of Supervisors of the European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Union's banking supervision body, has elected Kristīne Černaja-Mežmale, a member of the Board of Latvijas Banka (Latvia's central bank), as its Vice-Chair for two and a half years. The EBA announced the decision. The appointment puts a Latvian representative into one of the two top positions at an institution that promotes consistent supervisory practice across the EU.
She will begin her duties on 1 November 2026, when the current Vice-Chair, Helmut Ettl, moves on to become an Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Previous experience
Černaja-Mežmale sits on the Board of Latvijas Banka. Since 2023 she has represented Latvia as a voting member of the EBA Board of Supervisors, and she has also served on the EBA Management Board since July 2023.
Statements
EBA Chair François-Louis Michaud congratulated her and thanked her for her readiness to take on this important responsibility. He said her extensive experience in financial supervision would be a great asset, supporting consistent supervisory practice, stability and resilience across the financial sector of all 27 EU member states.
Černaja-Mežmale said that, at a time of rapid change in the financial sector, she looks forward to working closely with the EBA Chair, the Management Board and national supervisory authorities. She stressed the aim of strengthening an effective, risk-based and proportionate supervisory framework that ensures financial stability while encouraging innovation and competitiveness across the European Union.
Outgoing Vice-Chair Helmut Ettl wished her success as she takes on the important role.
