The European Central Bank (1998-present)

On 1 June 1998 the ECB replaced the European Monetary Institute (EMI), whose then President, Willem Frederik Duisenberg, became the first President of the ECB. The ECB inherited both an extensive body of preparatory work and the whole infrastructure of the EMI, including its staff.

The EMI’s preparatory work helped establish the ECB and paved the way for significant milestones, such as the introduction of the euro as a single currency on 1 January 1999 and the launch of euro banknotes and coins on 1 January 2002.

The ECB historical archives include files related to meetings of the ECB’s decision-making bodies and of committees of the European System of Central Banks, legal acts and instruments, and other documents of an operational or administrative nature.

Declassified ECB documents will be made available to the public 30 years after their date of creation. The first such documents will be released in 2028. ECB documents may also be released prior to that date under the public access regime.

• Access to ECB documents

All pages in this section