File photo: CGTN

FRANKFURT, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday decided that the key interest rates for the euro area will remain unchanged.

The eurozone base interest rate will remain at 0.00 percent, with the marginal lending rate and deposit rate remaining at 0.25 percent and minus 0.50 percent, respectively.

At the press conference, ECB President Christine Lagarde announced the latest ECB staff macroeconomic projections for the euro area, which foresee annual real GDP increasing by 1.2 percent in 2019, 1.1 percent in 2020 and 1.4 percent in both 2021 and 2022.

It is the first 2022 growth forecast provided by the ECB and the outlook for real GDP growth for 2020 has been revised down slightly compared with the September projections.