Addressing European parliamentarians, Juncker said his comments had the backing of fellow euro-zone finance ministers. And he defended his right to talk about interest rates, sometimes considered a taboo topic for a finance minister. "This is democracy," he said. Euro-zone gross domestic product growth is expected to be just 1.6% this year and 2.1% in 2006. Juncker said if the ECB raises rates, markets should interpret that as a sign of trust in the euro-zone's economic prospects. But even if growth is solid, with inflation "under control," there is no reason for a rate hike, Juncker said.