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Keynote speech by Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, at the farewell symposium for DNB President Klaas Knot, “Europe in the world – Challenges and Opportunities”
Amsterdam, 3 October 2025
It is a pleasure to be here in Amsterdam.
At today’s symposium, we are saying a fond farewell to an outstanding colleague and friend. Klaas, you can look back on a remarkable career in public service at the national, European and global levels.
You were at the helm of De Nederlandsche Bank for over 5,000 days.[1] In that time, you were a gifted communicator, conveying complex themes to the Dutch public in clear but never simplistic terms.
As a member of the Governing Council, you participated in over 330 meetings, overseen by three different ECB Presidents. I won’t put you on the spot by asking you who your favourite was. You can tell me later – no pressure.
Being one of the elders on the Governing Council, your voice carried a weight that helped to forge policy consensus at the most…