* * *  1 Welcome Ladies and gentlemen, Members of the European Parliament, Representatives of the European Commission and the Member States, dear Tim, dear fellow central bankers, dear Olivier, The closing of an exhibition is not an everyday occurrence for a central banker.
It is therefore a truly special pleasure for me to be with you here today to bring the joint National Bank of Belgium and Deutsche Bundesbank art exhibition to a ceremonious end. For four months, visitors were able to experience impressive works of contemporary art, many of which had previously not been accessible to the public.