In conclusion, let me once again stress that the maintenance of price stability, low medium and long term market interest rates, thanks to this stability, and financial integration are key successes of the Economic and Monetary Union as well as fundamentals conditions to enhance sustainable economic growth, employment creation and welfare.
The needle in our compass is price stability – annual inflation of less than 2% but close to 2% – and on this we have a very, very remarkable track record: a yearly average price increase of 1.97% in the 11½ years that the ECB has been in charge of monetary policy.