"We have a mandate to preserve price stability for the whole of the euro zone, not just Germany," he told a news conference.
Draghi was responding to a storm of German criticism, sparked by his recent comments that the idea of 'helicopter money' - sending money directly to citizens - was a very interesting concept.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was even reported as blaming the ECB's cheap-money policy in part for the rise of the right-wing anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Later, conservative German politicians said that the next ECB president should be a German.
Draghi said 'helicopter money' had not been discussed at the ECB's Thursday meeting, but added that its ultra-loose policy was not unusual in the current global economic climate.
"Our policies are not very different from policies being implemented in all major jurisdictions," he said.
"And our policies are working," he added.
(Reporting By John O'Donnell Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
