bostjan vasle : introducing the euro in times of high inflation - case of croatia opening speech by mr bostjan vasle, governor of bank of slovenia, at the lecture " introducing the euro in times of high inflation - case of croatia ", ljubljana, 20 april 2023. * * * the spoken word applies. dear ladies and gentlemen, dear guests, welcome to the second lecture of foreign central bank governors this year. after hosting the governor of the central bank of estonia in march, today we have with us the governor of the croatian national bank, boris vuji. just a few months after croatia became the 20th country to join the euro area, governor vuji will present croatia's path to and the first experiences with adoption of the euro. with croatia's entry into the euro area this year, the euro has become the official currency for 347 million people. euro area enlargement adds to the role of the euro and the european economy, which is particularly important at a time of increased geopolitical tensions. the euro remains the second most widely used currency for trade invoicing, crossborder lending and foreign exchange trading, and holds the second largest share of global foreign exchange reserves, after the us dollar. even at a time of high inflation, support for the single currency among the eu population remains high, at over 70 % according to this winter's eurobarometer. with support at 87 %, slovenians are among the biggest supporters of the euro. * * * while we can draw several parallels between the introduction of the euro in slovenia in 2007 and in croatia this year, there are also some interesting differences. ( i ) slovenia was the first of the so - called new eu member states to adopt the euro. the introduction of the euro was accompanied by broad support in politics and the professional community, which contributed to an exceptionally high 72 % acceptance of the euro among the population. 1 / 3 bis - central bankers'speeches the fact that slovenians, as savers and consumers, were well familiar with the euro also boded well. in addition, it is worth highlighting the importance of thorough tree - year preparations for the euro adoption, in terms of technical, managerial and communication aspects. in croatia, there were more divisions and doubts about euro adoption, which made the determination and public engagement of the central bank and the government even more significant. ( ii ) for slovenia, one of the major challenges in meeting the criteria for joining the euro

bostjan vasle : how can green finance and insurance secure a greener future? speech by mr bostjan vasle, governor of bank of slovenia, at the conference " how can green finance and insurance secure a greener future? ", organised by the britishslovenian chamber of commerce, ljubljana, 22 march 2024. * * * good morning, ladies and gentlemen, the topic we will discuss today is of an utmost importance, one that goes beyond traditional economic considerations, and delves into our collective responsibility for future generations. the atmosphere is gradually warming, and the economic damage from extreme weather events is increasing. over the past three years, europe has been hit particularly hard. in slovenia, the most recent experience are large - scale floods of last year. of additional concern is the fact that the vast majority of the damage is uninsured. which amplifies the problems. to mitigate climate change and its adverse impact, it is crucial, that we move forward globally in coordinated manner, as any delay will only intensify the magnitude of the challenges ahead. while designing appropriate policies lies primarily within the domain of governments, central banks and other institutions must also do our part, each within the framework of our mandates. the eu's objectives and framework, which guide and support our actions, are among the most comprehensive in the world and continue to evolve. let me now centre the attention to the role of central banks. climate change and related events affect the fulfilment of our key mandates of price and financial stability. firstly and related to our price stability mandate, green transition policies will put pressure on prices and could make it more challenging to maintain price stability. moreover, climate related shocks and disorderly green transition could hit financial institutions and reduce the flow of credit to the real economy, impairing the effectiveness of monetary policy measures. in the eurosystem and at banka slovenija we are incorporating these issues into our analyses of macroeconomic developments and the transmission of monetary policy. regarding the implementation of monetary policy, we have started de - carbonizing our corporate bond holdings and we are planning to limit the share of assets issued by entities with high emissions that can be used by banks as collateral in our credit operations. 1 / 3 bis - central bankers'speeches in terms of our own financial portfolio that is assets beyond the scope of monetary policy, we are systematically greening our portfolio, aiming for zero net emissions in the long term. secondly and related