bostjan vasle : bank of slovenia's 30th anniversary address by mr bostjan vasle, governor of bank of slovenia, at the celebration of bank of slovenia's 30th anniversary, ljubljana, 7 october 2021. * * * mr president, honourable guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honour and pleasure to be able to welcome you to the celebration of our anniversary in this house, so full of milestones in our recent history and culture. thirty years ago, the day that slovenia declared independence also saw the birth of banka slovenije, the central bank of the newly established state, and a cornerstone of slovenian sovereignty. since that june day it has been our mission to ensure price stability, thereby helping to create the conditions for slovenia to develop and for the wellbeing of its citizens. anniversaries are a time for reflecting on what good was done in the past, what we can learn from it, and how best to set out the path moving forward. usually away from the media spotlight, banka slovenije has so far made a significant and lasting contribution on the path to slovenia's stability and progress. in its very first year it introduced payment notes and then the tolar as the first official currency of independent slovenia. soon after slovenia became a full member of the imf and the world bank, with whom we continue to work closely today. after a decade of sustained improvement in the stability of the currency, in 2002 banka slovenije was granted the additional power of overseeing the legality and proper functioning of payment systems in the country. two years later, when slovenia joined the eu, banka slovenije also became a member of the european system of central banks, and put itself on the pathway for joining the euro by joining the erm ii system. slovenia eventually succeeded in becoming the first of the ten new eu member states to join the euro, at the beginning of 2007. coins featuring preseren, trubar and triglav, to name just a few designs, have since been faithful ambassadors for our country, our culture and our way of life, and together with other european symbols have been a valued currency around the world. after slovenia joined the euro area – which then enjoyed and still to this day enjoys one of the highest levels of public support in the entire monetary union – the series of historical milestones was followed by a time of economic and financial crisis, which in slovenia was reflected

, while in recent months we have embarked on the recovery and resilience process. formulating an exit strategy that balances recovery with the burden that our economies can still withstand is the key economic challenge of the months ahead. not least, a major challenge to central banks comes from global changes, of which we are increasingly aware. society is changing, rapid technological development is transforming our economies, and environmental changes are altering the landscape in which we live. all of these changes are profoundly shifting the conditions in which central banks operate, bringing them increasingly to the fore in our deliberations and actions. at the same time these are questions to which the public expects clearer answers, even from us central bankers, which should further motivate us to face the issues. however, great challenges also bring great opportunities, to become better, and more accountable : to people, to nature and, after all, also to money. we cannot become captives of time, when people " know the price of everything, and the value of nothing ", as oscar wilde wrote 130 years ago. 2 / 3 bis - central bankers'speeches ladies and gentlemen, allow me to mark this anniversary – as we celebrate 30 years of our work – by expressing my particular thanks to all of our current and past colleagues. that banka slovenije has always succeeded in attracting professionals with great expertise and commitment over the last three decades is one of the main reasons that we can be so proud of our institution today, and of the work we have done in that time. this exceptional human capital is at the same time a guarantee that we will be able to continue carrying out the tasks entrusted to us, with consistency. happy birthday banka slovenije! 3 / 3 bis - central bankers'speeches