Mr Garganas gives a speech on integrating Greece into the euro area and the challenges ahead  Speech given by Mr Nicholas C Garganas, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Greece, at the “Athens Summit 1999” on 18 September 1999.
*  *  *  The adoption of the euro as a common currency by a first group of eleven European Union Member States on 1 January 1999 was rightly described as an historic event since the move to the final stage of Economic and Monetary Union indeed marks a decisive step towards full economic and political integration between the countries participating in this endeavour.