Vítor Constâncio: Banking Union – meaning and implications for the future of banking Speech by Mr Vítor Constâncio, Vice-President of the European Central Bank, at Banking Union Conference, organised by the Master in Banking and Financial Regulation, Navarra University, Madrid, 24 April 2014. *  *  *  Ladies and gentlemen, Thank you for inviting me to speak here today.
The fact that we have had more than a decade of good economic performance, notwithstanding a difficult international environment at times, has helped build confidence in our ability to make our way in the world. Let me say a few words about international rankings. There are several organisations that publish rankings of countries according to income or GDP per capita.