The European Central Bank held its key interest rates steady at its policy meeting on Thursday, as it monitors the effects of a raft of new easing measures six weeks ago. 

The ECB's governing council voted, as expected, to keep the benchmark "refi" refinancing rate at its current all-time low of zero percent, after cutting it to that level in March, an ECB spokesman said.

At the same time, the ECB also held the rate on its marginal lending facility unchanged at 0.25 percent and the rate on the deposit facility steady at minus 0.40 percent.