MADRID, June 23 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank could lift a restriction on bank dividend payments soon thanks to solid economic recovery in the euro zone, ECB’s Vice-president Luis de Guindos said on Wednesday. “If the pace of activity we are forecasting continues, clearly this recommendation will sooner or later disappear,” De Guindos told a financial event held in Spain. The ECB expects to made a decision on whether to lift restrictions on bank dividends and share buy-backs on July 23. The ECB has asked banks to limit dividends and buy-backs until the end of September but has already indicated that the restrictions would be lifted unless the economic outlook deteriorates. (Reporting by Jesús Aguado and Emma Pinedo; editing by Inti Landauro) Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.