Miguel Fernández Ordóñez, the governor of the Bank of Spain, on Monday appeared to call on Dublin to accept assistance from the European Union as fears grew that markets' concerns over Ireland would have repercussions across the eurozone.

In response to a question about Ireland's debt problems at the sidelines of a conference in Madrid, Ordóñez, was quoted by reporters as saying: "Ireland should take the right decision at the right moment. I'm not the one that has to take the decision." A