The German Finance Ministry has said it was appointing an expert commission to examine proposals for a reform of the Bundesbank.

The once-mighty German central bank has been edged into a secondary role since the advent of the single European currency and the European Central Bank.

The Finance Ministry is known to be keen to strip away certain duties from the bank, including its role as a manager and issuer of government debt.

The ministry said in a statement that the expert commission would report its findings by July.