Message from the President on behalf of the European Central Bank

It was with immense sadness that we learnt of the passing away of Eugenio Domingo Solans this morning, after a long illness that he had fought with great courage and fortitude.

The whole staff and the Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB), as well as the members of the Governing Council and of the General Council of the ECB, are all mourning a very dear colleague and friend. We have sent our deepest condolences to his wife, Almudena, and the other members of his family.

Eugenio Domingo Solans was a member of the Executive Board from June 1998 to May 2004. We all appreciated his strong dedication, his high professionalism and his outstanding contribution to the establishment and consolidation of the ECB and of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). The name of Eugenio Domingo Solans will always be associated with the smooth and successful introduction of the euro banknotes and coins on 1 January 2002, from which more than 300 million European citizens have benefited. He also contributed actively and very efficiently to the development of a Europe-wide framework of monetary, banking and financial statistics, the quality of which is key in defining and implementing the single monetary policy. Furthermore, Eugenio Domingo Solans was responsible for setting up, maintaining and further developing the information systems architecture of the ECB and the ESCB.

Besides his professional qualities, Eugenio Domingo Solans was unanimously appreciated for his enthusiasm, his warmth and his bright and open personality. Moreover, we witnessed his immense courage in facing and fighting his illness.

We will all remember Eugenio with great admiration and deep affection. We shall miss him profoundly.