Madame la Présidente, Honourable Members,

I am delighted to meet you all again for the first time since my confirmation hearing last year. Although in office for only 2 months, I have been very impressed by the work done by your committee. I look forward to building a close and co-operative working relationship with you. This is of immense importance to me. Constructive co-operation between our institutions is critical to make real progress towards our mutual goal; the integration of European financial markets, to strengthen the European economy and to capture the major benefits for businesses and for our consumers.