jean - claude trichet : the handing over of the building permit for the new european central bank premises by the city of frankfurt introductory statement by mr jean - claude trichet, president of the european central bank, at the press conference, frankfurt, 6 may 2008. * * * sehr geehrte frau oberburgermeisterin roth, sehr geehrte damen und herren, ich freue mich sehr, dass sie, frau oberburgermeisterin, mir heute personlich die baugenehmigung fur unseren neubau auf dem gelande der ehemaligen großmarkthalle uberreichen. fur die ezb ist es ein besonderer tag – die erteilung der baugenehmigung ist einer der wichtigsten meilensteine auf dem weg zur errichtung des neuen sitzes der europaischen zentralbank. this building permit provides us with formal approval for our architectural plans. we can now start implementing these plans, which have been under development for the past two years during the planning phase. the ecb sincerely welcomes the issuing of the permit, as it represents the culmination of all the hard work that has been done up to this point. we are very excited about the upcoming phase, that is, the start of the main construction work. as stimulating as the previous design phases were, they cannot possibly compare to the next stage, in which we will see the new ecb premises rise from the ground. i would like to take a moment now to reiterate some of the key features of our future premises. let me start with the preservation of the großmarkthalle. this important consideration has played a key role throughout the different stages of the project. at the ecb, we take particular pride in the fact that our efforts will enable this remarkable building – designed by the architect martin elsasser – to be preserved. in the course of the construction process, the concrete structure of the hall and the brick facades will be entirely renovated, while of course due attention will be paid to the guidelines of the monument preservation authorities. over the past two years preservation experts have spent literally thousands of hours assessing the exact state of the building ’ s structure and the best methods to use for its preservation. the großmarkthalle will not only be revitalised ; it

the basement slab, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid. ( frau roth – we hope you will have some space for us in your diary? ) at the same time, the renovation of the großmarkthalle will get under way. if all goes as planned, we expect the building work to last around three years, with the building complex being finalised by the end of 2011. i would like to finish my introductory remarks by expressing my gratitude to the various authorities involved in this project. in particular, i would like to thank frau roth and all the staff of the frankfurt city planning department for their commitment and efficient collaboration in this project, especially during the application process for this building permit. i can only agree with what was mentioned a moment ago : that the guidelines we received were precise and timely and the communication with the relevant authorities was very well organised. the speed with which our application was handled is further testimony to the excellent collaboration between our new ecb premises project team and the city authorities. i thank you for your attention and am now at your disposal for questions.