Euro zone inflation is heading to the European Central Bank's 2% target next year after a "bumpy" road that will see it hover near current levels for now, the ECB's chief economist Philip Lane said on Monday.

"Even if the near-term inflation outlook is somewhat bumpy, the projected convergence of inflation to the target in 2025 will be underpinned," Lane told students in Dublin.

Among factors bringing down inflation, Lane listed lower labour cost pressures and an additional compression of corporate profits.

(Reporting By Francesco Canepa; editing by Balazs Koranyi)