*  *  *  Ladies and Gentlemen, When I first took the floor before this annual meeting on 31 May 2006, I said that I felt that one of my duties was to lead the Bank of Italy towards change, in all its vast field of action, “contributing substantively to the formulation and implementation of monetary policy in the euro area; expanding and strengthening banking supervision while adapting it to the new international rules; making the Bank once again the trusted, independent advisor to Parliament, the Government and the general public”.
The Bank responded. It answered the call thanks to its wealth of skills; thanks to its independence. In these last five years we have changed the structure, organization and work procedures of the Bank. The number of branches has passed from 97 to 58. We now have a more efficient network, better able to respond to the needs of the local communities.