FRANKFURT, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday reaffirmed its monetary policy stance to maintain the key interest rates for the euro area at present levels for an extended period of time.

The base interest rate will remain at 0.00 percent, with the marginal lending rate and deposit rate staying at 0.25 percent and minus 0.40 percent respectively, according to the central bank.