make an important contribution to convincing europeans that europe is not an abstract and remote idea, but something real and dynamic. the success of the euro cash changeover will depend to a large extent on the information the european citizens receive on their new money. this will help them to cope with the cash changeover. it will also help some of them get accustomed to denominations that differ from those they are familiar with. in this respect, the two following points are important : • the co - operation of all the professional parties directly involved - such as banks, retailers, cash in transit companies and vending machines operators – and • the quick acceptance of the new banknotes by the public. therefore, the ecb has embarked on the preparation of an information campaign. it has a budget of eur 80 million. we have the support of publicis, the communication agency we have selected to work with us on this crucial project. the national central banks of the euro area will implement the information campaign on a decentralised basis. our campaign addresses all users of the euro banknotes and coins. it includes users from outside the euro area, such as tourists, travellers and nationals from countries where the euro banknotes and coins will circulate widely as a parallel currency. in order to reach such a broad public, the information campaign uses relevant groups or institutions as partners or " multipliers ". in that context, banks, retailers, educational institutions or the media can be mentioned. we also dedicate particular attention to vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, the handicapped, the deaf and the blind and partially sighted, who need and will receive tailor - made information and training. our information campaign is being co - ordinated with other campaigns prepared by national authorities and the european commission. it can thus be considered a " specialised " campaign. the message of our campaign concentrates on four main issues : • the detailed visual appearance of the banknotes and coins, • their main security features, • the denominations of euro banknotes and coins ; and • the changeover modalities. i should like to emphasise how particularly well the co - ordination of the campaigns in belgium has been. the national campaign here is really complementary to our campaign. this is ensured since the national bank of belgium is chairing the national changeover board. although our information campaign, and particularly our communication towards the media and our cooperation with partners, was already started months ago, an advertising campaign focusing mainly on the details of the euro

willem duisenberg : “ the euro. our money ” speech by dr willem f duisenberg, president of the european central bank, at the euro 2002 information campaign conference, brussels, 6 march 2001. * * * thank you very much for inviting me to participate in this euro 2002 information campaign conference. it is the first of a series of conferences in the course of 2001 on the euro cash changeover. these conferences are being organised and hosted by the national central banks of the 12 euro area members states and will take place in the context of the eurosystem's euro 2002 information campaign. brussels is the right venue for launching these conferences, not only as the capital of belgium, but also as a city which is very closely associated with and linked to the process of integration in europe. the other national central banks of the euro area will also organise conferences in the course of 2001. the next conference is to take place on 4 april 2001 in madrid and will be hosted by the banco de espana. subsequent ones will take place on 15 may 2001 in lisbon and on 16 may in frankfurt, hosted by the banco de portugal and the deutsche bundesbank respectively. the objective of these conferences is to raise citizens'awareness of the cash changeover at the beginning of 2002 and to prepare them for it. they will bring together the key parties involved in the euro cash changeover process, both at the national and at the european level, with a view to focusing on the cash changeover preparations. 1. frontloading and sub - frontloading of euro banknotes and coins the introduction of euro banknotes and coins means an unprecedented logistical challenge for all parties involved ; 14. 25 billion banknotes and 50. 1 billion coins have to be produced. banknotes and coins have to be distributed. the european central bank ( ecb ) aims to contribute to making this exercise as smooth as possible. the ecb has decided that the frontloading and sub - frontloading of euro banknotes and coins can start as of 1 september 2001. frontloading is the advance distribution of euro banknotes and coins to those credit institutions that are counterparties for monetary policy operations within the eurosystem. credit institutions can sub - frontload euro banknotes and coins to professional groups ( retailers, cash - in - transit companies, cash - operated machine industry ) provided that certain conditions are fulfilled. each national central bank is free to decide the specific date on which frontloading and subfrontloading can start at the national level