Slovenia celebrates euro together with europe

20 December 2006

Following the introduction of the euro on 1 January 2007, Slovenia will mark this historic event with a special celebration on 15 January. On that day the euro becomes the single Slovenian currency after a two-week dual circulation period of tolars and euros.

Slovenia's Prime Minister Janez Janša has invited the Heads of State or Government of EU Member States as well as President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso to Ljubljana for the "A Welcome to the Euro" ceremony. Slovenia's Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk has also invited his EU counterparts as well as Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Joaquín Almunia.

The ceremony "A Welcome to the Euro" will be held in Ljubljana on the afternoon of 15 January. It will be hosted by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Bank of Slovenia. This will be an opportunity to jointly celebrate the euro area enlargement with Slovenia as the first new EU Member State and to symbolically underline the commitment to its further enlargement.

Honourable speakers will be: Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Angela Merkel, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Central Bank Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the Euro Group and Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker as well as Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia Janez Janša. The ceremony will continue with a cultural programme.

The Heads of States and Governments as well as the Finance Ministers will also participate at the opening of the exhibition "Tolar leaving, euro coming". They will be joined at the ceremony by the governors of the respective national banks, who will be attending the "€ CONFERENCE SLOVENIA 2007" meeting, organised by the Bank of Slovenia and the ECB.