(iii) For its part, the Governing Council completed the list of committees which will assist in the work of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). In addition to the eleven ESCB Committees agreed upon at the meeting in July, the Governing Council decided to establish an International Relations Committee and a Budget Committee. The latter was set up in order to provide transparency to the shareholders of the ECB - the national central banks - on matters relating to the budget of the ECB. (iv) Finally, the Governing Council endorsed the draft Headquarters Agreement between the German Federal Government and the ECB, which will be signed here in Frankfurt on 18 September 1998. A number of decisions were also taken with regard to various aspects of the preparatory work for Stage Three. (a) Exchange rate policy co-operation between the euro area and other EU countries The General Council endorsed the text of an Agreement between the ECB and the non-euro area national central banks, laying down the operating procedures for an exchange rate mechanism in Stage Three (the so-called ERM II). You will recall that the European Council in Amsterdam in June last year agreed to set up an exchange rate mechanism in Stage Three to replace the present European Monetary System (EMS). For this reason, the EMI had, on behalf of the ECB, prepared a draft Central Bank Agreement to replace the current exchange rate mechanism (ERM I, if you like) by a new one in Stage Three.
An important external factor underlying the favourable prospects for inflation is the sharp decline in oil and commodity prices, which is partly associated with developments in Asia. Moreover, domestic sources of inflation, such as those arising from the labour market situation and capacity utilisation, are also relatively moderate at the present juncture. In my opinion, taking a euro area wide perspective, these views are also broadly compatible with current monetary and financial developments. In this connection, please take note that we should soon have new information on monetary developments on the basis of the new statistical reporting framework for money and banking. The environment of significant volatility in international financial markets, particularly stock markets, appears to account for much of the recent decline in long-term interest rates in the euro area to historically low levels, as investors have sought to protect themselves against heightened global risk. Nonetheless, it is notable that the euro area yield curve shifted downwards at all maturities, which to some extent would tend to indicate a further decline in long-term inflation expectations for the euro area as a whole. As we approach the start of Stage Three, we shall need to continue to monitor closely economic, monetary and financial developments within the euro area and in the world economy. This will allow us eventually to set the interest rate for the euro area as a whole.