ECBI - Articles

Part I

Introduction: Establishment, Tasks and Membership of the Board etc.

Introduction

Establishment and Tasks of the Board

Membership of the Board

Sub-Committees

Consultative Panel

Secretariat to the Board

Premises

1. Introduction

This Report is in four parts:

Part I describes the establishment and tasks of the Board, and its membership and that of its Sub-Committees, Consultative Panel and Secretariat;
Part II deals with the Board's activities as regards implementation of the changeover to the euro;
Part III deals with the Board's activities as regards public information;
Part IV describes other activities carried out by the Board.

Appendixes list the members of the Board, its Sub-Committees, Consultative Panel and Secretariat, and recipients of funding under the Board's Non-Governmental Organisations Programme for 1998; provide a statement of expenditure; and give statistics on distribution of information material.

2. Establishment and Tasks of Board

The Euro Changeover Board of Ireland was established by the Minister for Finance, Mr Charlie McCreevy TD, on 5 May 1998. Its establishment followed the decision by European Union Heads of State or Government on 2 May 1998 that Ireland and ten other Member States qualified to form an Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and adopt a single currency, the euro, from 1 January 1999. The Board has two basic tasks:

to oversee the detailed implementation of the changeover to the euro; and
to provide public and consumer information.

This is the first annual report of the Board and covers the period 5 May 1998 to 30 April 1999.

3. Membership of the Board

The Board includes representatives from a wide range of organisations across Irish society. Its membership is set out at Appendix 1. The Board met eleven times in the period of this report, including its first meeting, which took place on the day of its establishment.

4. Sub-Committees

The Board has two Sub-Committees. The Retail Sub-Committee was established to consider how best to manage the 1 January 2002 date for the introduction of euro notes and coins. It met seven times. The Information Sub-Committee was established to provide a forum for exchange of information between the major information providers, to help develop the Board's information campaign and to co-operate in disseminating the Board's information materials. The Information Sub-Committee met seven times. The membership of the two Sub-Committees is set out at Appendix 2.

5. Consultative Panel

The Board also established a Consultative Panel, of representatives of organisations representing people likely to have special needs in the context of the changeover to the euro. The Panel's functions are to inform the Board about these needs, to advise on how they should be addressed and to act as a channel for disseminating information. The Panel met five times. Its membership is set out at Appendix 2.

6. Secretariat to the Board

The Department of Finance provides the Chairperson of and the Secretariat to the Board. These are listed at Appendix 3, which also shows how the Secretariat is organised.

7. Premises

In August 1998 the Board moved into premises at 15 Lower Hatch Street, Dublin 2 which had been refurbished for it by the Office of Public Works.