Den Europæiske Centralbank kan kræve, at kreditinstitutter, der er etableret i medlemsstaterne, holder mindstereserver på konti hos Den Europæiske Centralbank og de nationale centralbanker for at opfylde målene for den monetære politik, jf. dog artikel 2.  
Subject to Article 2, the European Central Bank may require credit institutions established in Member States to hold minimum reserves on accounts with the European Central Bank and national central banks in pursuance of monetary policy objectives.  