The European Central Bank hasn't adopted a more hawkish stance in recent days, a senior official at the bank said, adding that the central bank's line on monetary policy remains unchanged. During the Group of Seven and International Monetary Fund meetings here, which began Saturday and are slated to end Wednesday, several of the 18 ECB board members have put a strong emphasis on inflation risks and economic strength, signaling the bank is more keen to hike interest rates in the euro zone than previously thought. "The line is still the same - strong vigilance on prices is needed," the person said. "Nothing has changed, really." ECB board member and Bank of Italy Governor Mario Draghi said Sunday that rates in the 12-country area are at an "extraordinarily" low level both in real and monetary terms. The same day, his German colleague Juergen Stark, a member of the executive board of the ECB, reiterated risks to the inflation outlook are to the upside. On Monday, ECB Executive Board member Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo said oil prices remain a risk to price stability despite their recent moderation. European government bond prices fell Monday, in line with U.S. Treasurys, with short-dated issues bearing the brunt of hawkish comments from the ECB officials.