EU watchdog wants next ECB boss barred from joining opaque G30

FILE PHOTO: President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi listens during the news conference following the meeting of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank in Riga, Latvia June 14, 2018. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

(Reuters) - The next head of the European Central Bank and other ECB policymakers should be barred from joining an opaque club of top figures in finance, the European Union's Ombudsman said on Thursday, referring the matter to the European Parliament.

Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly also renewed her call for ECB President Mario Draghi to renounce his membership of the Group of 30, after the ECB rejected her earlier recommendation that he quit the group to protect the central bank's reputation.