Klaas Knot: Drivers of European payments integration - innovation and cooperation

Speech by Mr Klaas Knot, President of the Netherlands Bank, at the 10th jubilee edition of the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia's Conference on Payments and Market Infrastructures "Drivers of European Payment Integration - Innovations and Cooperation", Ohrid, Macedonia, 7 July 2017.

The views expressed in this speech are those of the speaker and not the view of the BIS.

Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to thank the organizers of this conference for inviting me to speak in this beautiful location. The beauty of Ohrid and its lake is already well known to us in the Netherlands, mainly through the books of A. den Doolaard. There is even a monument to the Dutch author here in the city. While I was out jogging this morning I was able to admire the lake's beauty for myself. However, I'm not just here for the scenery, but also for this conference of course.

This event is already in its tenth year, which is reason to celebrate! It is the result of fruitful cooperation between the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia, Banco de Portugal and De Nederlandsche Bank. Over the past decade, the conference has become a meeting place for central bank officials from the region and beyond.