Its inception has been, at the same time, a powerful symbol of the will of the European countries to pursue actively their strategic road towards unification. We were eleven countries when we started the euro on 1 January 1999. We will be seventeen on 1 January 2011.
There is no better way to demonstrate that the euro area is not a “closed shop” but is open to those countries and economies that are fully compliant with the entry criteria in a convincing and sustainable manner.