post fiji limited for an image of a beautiful parrot found in the misty highlands of kadavu. • james siers of ba for an image of an iconic fijian flower. i understand mr. siers is not well and we wish him a speedy recovery. • jone niukula for images of an endemic insect species that only emerges once every so many years, • dr. jorg kretzschmar for images of a truly iconic bird that graces our ocean for days at a time and which is otherwise rarely seen. • dr. paddy ryan and aaron jenkins for images of a fresh water fish species with truly unique characteristics. ladies and gentlemen, i am led to believe by all who have collaborated on this project that we have something truly special. we have a new set of currency in vibrant colours featuring true national treasures. there will be many local and international collectors of currency notes and coins who are looking for something unique. the celebration of our biodiversity on our money is just that. the interest is so promising that we have already received numerous enquiries and a number of orders from banknote and coin collectors around the world even before the unveiling. we recognize this growing interest and have worked with our suppliers to provide limited numbers of special collector items. let me say a few words on what we have. for the first time, the reserve bank has produced a limited edition all - denomination set of coloured coins. this is a one - of - a - kind coin set depicting the flora and fauna designs in their natural colours on the front of each coin. specially packaged uncirculated coin sets will also be available for those who just want to own a piece of history. for the notes, collectors can either buy specially packaged individual denominations or the full set with matching serial numbers. uncut banknote sheets of 20 notes and 25 notes will also be available. bis central bankers ’ speeches ladies and gentlemen, my sincere apologies for the self - advertising. i will not draw out the suspense any longer. i am confident that we all will be proud of our new banknotes and coins. on behalf of the board, management and staff of the reserve bank of fiji, i once again extend my sincere gratitude to his excellency, the president for agreeing to be our chief guest and to you all for kindly accepting our invitation. we are truly humbled by your presence. vinaka vakalevu and god bless fiji! bis central bankers ’ speeches

mario draghi : 20th anniversary of the euro speech by mr mario draghi, president of the european central bank, at the session of the plenary of the european parliament to mark the anniversary of the euro, strasbourg, 15 january 2019. * * * it is with great pleasure that i am here today to celebrate with you the first 20 years of the euro. the euro is the most tangible representation of european integration that our citizens encounter, on a daily basis. it is fitting, then, to celebrate this anniversary here with the directly elected representatives of all our citizens. over the years, elected representatives and leaders here and in other parliaments have rightly recognised that ensuring economic prosperity and stability over the long term is a shared challenge that is best faced collectively. we are stronger together. with the single market, we have a powerful engine of sustainable growth to underpin our living standards. the euro has safeguarded the integrity of the single market. today, our economies are integrated to a point that was not imaginable when the euro was designed. intra - eu exports rose from 13 % of eu gdp in 1992 to 20 % today and value chains are everywhere in the euro area. the euro has produced two decades of price stability also in countries where this was a long lost memory. stable prices have fostered people ’ s confidence in the value of their savings, which is one of the conditions for prosperity. based on such confidence, firms invest and create new jobs. today most challenges are global and can be addressed only together. it is this “ togetherness ” that magnifies the ability of individual countries to retain the sovereignty over the relevant matters, sovereignty that would otherwise be lost in this global world. it is precisely in this sense that the single currency has given to all members of the euro area their monetary policy sovereignty, compared with the pre - existing monetary arrangements. it is together that we have a voice in the regulation of international financial markets ; a voice, which has been fundamental in reshaping the world financial regulation after the global financial crisis. but in some countries, not all of the euro ’ s benefits have been realised in full. partly, this is because reforms at national level are necessary, and they would be so under any monetary system, to produce sustainable growth ; partly, because the economic and monetary union ( emu ) remains incomplete. great progress has been achieved since the crisis struck, but more work still needs to be done ; and there is no alternative to a future