The euro has quickly become an integral part of the everyday lives of citizens within the euro area and it is now used by almost 330 million Europeans on a daily basis. Some 12.5 billion euro banknotes are currently in circulation in Europe and beyond, with a total face value of more than € billion. Today, the euro is an internationally accepted currency.
In my address today I wish to touch upon some of the issues engaging the policy deliberations, particularly in the post-crisis context. 2. It has become customary these days for any speech on financial sector to start from the vantage point of the crisis – it is such an inflexion point.