European Central Bank committee member Negal said that if economic data does not have unexpected negative effects, the European Central Bank should be able to lower interest rates. "If the data remains unchanged over the next 12 months, we may have the opportunity to cut interest rates further at one or another meeting," Negal said. He emphasized that the European Central Bank was not on "autopilot" for cutting interest rates, and insisted that "all you need to do is be patient, and most importantly, keep monetary policy within restrictive limits until inflation reaches a stable level of 2%." He insisted on the European Central Bank's roadmap, which would decide policy at successive meetings, and warned against making commitments in advance for what might happen in September. Consistent with previous comments, he emphasized that wage conditions in the euro zone continued to be "very strong," and said that returning to a 2% inflation rate would be "bumpy."