Message on Celebrating 20 Years of the Euro
by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
1 Jan, 2022
庆祝欧元流通20周年致辞
欧盟委员会主席 冯德莱恩
2022年1月1日
Our common currency, the euro, builds bridges between Europeans and opens doors to the world.
我们的共同货币——欧元，为欧洲人架起了桥梁，并向世界打开了大门。
Maybe you also remember this feeling when we held the euro bills in our hands for the very first time. I saw a bridge on one side and a door on the other side. A bridge and a door – both are symbols for Europe; symbols for our Union.
The euro builds bridges of cooperation and fair competition in our single market, a market that has flourished in these 20 years as never before.
欧元在我们的单一市场中架起了合作与公平竞争的桥梁，这个市场在这20年里前所未有地蓬勃发展。
And the euro opens doors to the world. We are the biggest player in world trade and nearly half of this trade takes place in euros. The stability of the euro is treasured around the world. Our common currency is a true symbol for the strength of Europe.
The euro also reflects our values – the world we want to live in. It is the global currency for sustainable investments. 30% of Next Generation EU – our recovery plan – is earmarked for investments in the climate transition.
The European Union is set to become, by far, the biggest issuer of green bonds, and we can all be proud of that. And I’m sure that this pride will also be reflected in the design of the new euro bills that the ECB is preparing for. I am already looking forward to holding them in my hands.