°°° Let me first of all say that I am honoured to be considered as a candidate for the Presidency of the ECB, because I believe that EMU, with the euro at its centre, has been a great success, a success that should be preserved for the sake of all the citizens of Europe.
We are drawing closer to the end of the year in which the ECB has been celebrating its twentieth anniversary. Typically, this type of event leads one to look back and reflect on the lessons learnt over time. And to evaluate how the lessons learnt can be taken on board in future endeavors.