(Bloomberg) -- European Central Bank Governing Council member Pierre Wunsch pushed back against suggestions that the institution’s inflation-fighting mandate should be widened to include things like green goals.

“Be careful what you wish for,” the Belgian central-bank chief said Wednesday in Frankfurt. “Pushing central banks into the inherently political waters of tilting relative prices could open Pandora’s box. Never-ending mission creep and ultimately, politicization would loom large.”

While acknowledging “the criticality of a successful climate transition,” Wunsch said “let’s keep in mind the inherent limitations of monetary policy in dealing with allocative efficiency issues.”

The remarks follow a call last month by Emmanuel Macron to expand the ECB’s mission. The French president went as far as urging a debate on how to integrate economic-growth and decarbonization goals into its mandate. Populist politicians have also said the institution should fund state spending. 

While the ECB is a big proponent of aiding Europe’s green transition, not all central banks are so keen to get involved in such activities. The Federal Reserve, for one, has ruled out following suit in the US.

There’s been friction within the ECB itself, too, with staff criticizing President Christine Lagarde for straying into “topics unrelated to monetary policy and going too frequently in the political domain.”

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