The views and conclusions expressed in the presentations are of the authors and not necessarily of the respective institutions or the Bank of Albania. Wishing success to the conference, I hope that all the participants will benefit from the interesting presentations that will be shared with the audience today. I have now the pleasure to invite our keynote speaker, Prof. Olivier Picard, former Director of the French Archaeological School in Athens, Professor at the Sorbonne University, Member of the “Académie des Inscriptions et Belles – Lettre” (Institute of France), who will hold a presentation on “Minting of coins in Illyria in wartime”. Thank you! 2/2  BIS central bankers' speeches
We asked: “How can the New York Fed best leverage our resources to help our community?” We heard that it could be challenging to find key recovery information and advice online. So we pulled key resources under one roof – or I should say under one URL. We developed our Sandy Information Center with the best information we could find for residents and businesses impacted by Sandy – including key deadlines along with expert legal, finance and insurance guidance. Conditions are not entirely back to normal, and restoration and repair activities continue in a number of hard-hit neighborhoods. Connecticut, along with New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Rhode Island, have been appropriated federal funding for relief efforts and this should help move the area’s recovery forward. I am confident that these areas will recover over the course of the year. The legislation also contains funding for helping coastal communities to prepare to weather future storms better. My meeting with you today is part of our continuing efforts to understand what is going on at the grassroots level of our economy. Let me offer a few examples from this trip. Yesterday evening I met with some of Stamford’s business leaders to discuss the local state of economic and business conditions. This morning I met with Mayor Finch and key economic development staff to discuss Bridgeport’s redevelopment initiatives. Local efforts such as these and your business council are essential complements to the Fed’s support for economic recovery.