DAVOS, Switzerland (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that any action by the European Central Bank should not ease the pressure on European politicians to enact reforms to bolster the economy.

"No matter what sort of decision the ECB will take, we should not become diverted from the fact that we as politicians need to put a framework for recovery in place," Merkel told the World Economic Forum in Davos, minutes ahead of a likely decision by the ECB to introduce a controversial bond-buying programme.