The European Central Bank (ECB) is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It has been responsible for monetary policy in the Euro area since January 1, 1999, when the euro currency was first adopted by some EU members. The ECB Governing Council is the body within the ECB that actually takes decisions on euro zone monetary policy. The Council consists of six executive board members and the governor (or equivalent) of each member's national central bank. As membership of the Euro area has expanded, so has the number of governors in the Governing Council.
