Speech by Mr Charlie McCreevy, T.D., at the Opening of the New Offices of the Euro Changeover Board of Ireland

I'm delighted to open the new offices of the Euro Changeover Board of Ireland here in Hatch Street.

In just 96 days the euro will come into being and Europeans in participating States will be able to use it for cashless transactions. And three years later, in January 2002, we'll have the new notes and coins.

Last May, I launched the Euro Changeover Board of Ireland to oversee the implementation of the changeover and provide public information about it.

Since then, the Board and its Secretariat have been working hard on these two tasks.

The first of a planned series of national communications campaigns was completed over the summer. The campaign set out primarily to make people aware of the advent of the single currency, its name, what it will look like and the timetable for it. According to the results of a national survey, the campaign was largely successful.

The survey shows that 94% of the population are now aware of the Single Currency and 85% are aware that Ireland will participate in it from the beginning. Nearly 60% are aware that the name of the new currency is the euro.

The Board's job now is to drive home the next round of messages. The new currency will be called the euro, it will start on the first of January 1999 and its rate against the Irish pound will be fixed on that day.

So in the run-up to 1 January we'll be seeing:

• a TV series on RTE called "Living with the euro"
• a public information video that we will be making widely available
• information materials for people with a hearing or visual disability
• materials for use in our schools, in liaison with the Department of Education
• a training programme for the civil and public service
• the next edition of the National Changeover Plan, and
• a national press advertising campaign

This three month campaign will culminate in the launch of the euro on 1 January 1999 and the fixing of the rate of exchange for the euro.

Of course we will be developing our campaign further as time goes on. The fixing of the conversion rate on the 1st January 1999 will give people the next crucial piece of information. And there will be time over the following three years, to help everyone build a scale of values before notes and coins come in on 1.1.2002.

And we have that time

Time to inform.

Time to educate.

Time to set up information structures and networks across the whole community so that everyone is reassured and will understand what will happen on 1 January 2002.

And part of that campaign can be seen here today with the launch of the Euro Changeover Board of Ireland's web site. It's easy to access and, more important, it's easy to use. Those who access the web site will be able to get information on the notes and coins, the Euro Changeover Board, its Secretariat and its tasks, answers to frequently asked questions, the National Changeover Plan, our legislative preparations and links to other relevant sites on the euro. Needless to say, the website will be expanding all the time with new information as it comes to hand.

I commend the designers on the special section for young people. Young people are very aware of anything new that's happening around them and are great at passing on information to their families.
My final task today is to launch the Board's new offices. They are a credit to the OPW and its contractors. I have no doubt that today's official opening will be the start of a very busy time for all the team here. Getting the Board's communications campaign underway for the next three months is proof of that.

I wish the Board members and Philip and all who work here continued success in the campaign and I hope that the office will continue to be a happy and busy place.