*  *  *  Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to welcome you to this reception for the opening of the ECB’s Cultural Days. As you know, each year we dedicate this series to one of the 28 EU members as a way to underscore Europe’s diversity and richness. This time the focus is on Malta.
At the formal opening I will speak more about Maltese culture and the programme of upcoming events. Here, however, I would like to tell you something about your hosts – what the ECB is currently doing, and most importantly, why. Since last year, when we welcomed the panoply of Bulgarian culture to Frankfurt, the ECB has been through a major transformation.