I call myself only an eyewitness, as I am convinced that the introduction of the euro would not have been successful without the efforts of the national central banks of the euro area, national and European administrations and the private sector, in particular the European financial sector.
The financial sector has demonstrated that it has the capacity and vision to be a significant leader in the thrust for regional integration. Our banks and insurance companies have led the way by their cross border activities. The way ahead however, lies as we have recognised in the ECCU, through the Integration, Development and Regulation of the financial sector on a wider scale.