This only serves to convince me that, even two years after its introduction, there is still a need for the euro to be explained to the public at large. And, this is perhaps all the more so outside Europe where understanding of European integration and policy-making is, not surprisingly, more limited.
Therefore, I very much welcome this opportunity to say a few quite general words to you about what the euro is, how it works, and what it means, both for the euro area and for the world at large.