Lars Heikensten: The Riksbank and the euro Speech by Mr Lars Heikensten, Governor of the Sveriges Riksbank, at the Society of International Treasurers Convention, Stockholm, 17 June 2003. *  *  *  Let me begin by thanking you for the invitation to come here and speak on the subject of EMU. Approximately three months remain until 14 September when the Swedish people will vote on whether to participate in monetary union. In the event of a “yes” vote, Sweden will enter monetary union in 2006 and introduce the euro as its currency. The right of determination over our interest rate level will then be transferred to the European Central Bank (the ECB). On the other hand, a “no” vote would generally imply “business as usual” for the Riksbank. Today, I will be speaking about some of the implications for the Riksbank and our operations in the event of a “yes” vote in the referendum. I will begin by speaking about the preparatory phase, that is, from 14 September until 1 January 2006, during which time preparations will be conducted in the Swedish economy for a changeover to the euro, and the krona will join the exchange rate mechanism, ERM2. Subsequently, I will talk on the issue of monetary policy as it will be conducted by the ECB and point to differences as well as similarities with how it is conducted today. Thereafter, I will touch upon the effects of a changeover on our work with financial stability.
The Riksbank also has an internal preparation process with broad participation. Finally, we publish the minutes of Executive Board meetings in which the opinion of each member is evident. The latter issue has a different “charge” at European level since there is a risk that a genuinely single monetary policy would be undermined if individual positions were made public. Monetary union and financial stability in Sweden The Riksbank not only has the task of maintaining price stability but also that of promoting a safe and efficient payment system. In light of this, allow me also to say something about the potential implications of entry into monetary union from this perspective. The financial markets in Europe have developed rapidly over the past decade, partly as a result of the fact that the freedom to trade financial services is fundamental to the cooperation in the EU. Competition for the national banks has hardened. The single currency has contributed to the evolution of a far better capital market outside the banks, which has increased competition further. In several large European countries, a process of structural transformation in the banking systems is underway, much like that experienced in Sweden in connection with the banking crisis at the beginning of the 1990s. When competition grows stiffer, it can of course pose a threat to stability, especially if the banks are not accustomed to competition and are also weakly capitalised.