This does not mean that the Riksbank’s tasks would disappear, however, as claimed time and again by one of my predecessors Lars Wohlin. The majority of the Riksbank’s tasks would remain relatively unaffected by our participation. As I just mentioned, this applies to our work on financial stability, which would essentially remain a national responsibility for the foreseeable future. The Riksbank’s operational tasks such as monetary policy transactions, the management of the Riksbank’s assets, the collection of statistics, the management of banknotes and coins and various administrative tasks would also remain. I also object to the claim that the Riksbank would become a branch office of the ECB. In actual fact, the national central banks of the Eurosystem own the ECB. If Sweden were to join the Eurosystem, we would become a member of the board and be able to influence how the system as a whole develops in the future. That is hardly an opportunity available to local offices of other organisations. In addition, the Eurosystem is a decentralised system, in which the vast majority of tasks are carried out by the  BIS Review 29/2003  7  national central banks. Many tasks are also performed at national level completely outside the framework of the Eurosystem. The main change if Sweden were to participate in monetary union would be that decisions on the interest rate level in Sweden would be taken by the ECB Governing Council instead of by the Executive Board of the Riksbank.
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.