Senior European officials are calling on Dominique Strauss-Kahn to quit as head of the International Monetary Fund after he was denied bail in New York on charges of sexual assault.

“Considering the situation, that bail was denied, he has to figure out for himself that he is hurting the institution,” Maria Fekter, Austria’s finance minister, said on Tuesday as she arrived at a meeting of European finance ministers in Brussels.

Elena Salgado, Spain’s finance minister, said the charges against Mr Strauss-Kahn were “extraordinarily serious” and he would have to decide for himself whether he wanted to step down. While decisions on Mr Strauss-Kahn’s leadership will be taken by the IMF’s executive board in Washington, the 24 directors will follow instructions from their national capitals.