European Parliament
A7-0292/2011
Sergio Paolo Francesco Silvestris  (PPE ).
(IT)
Madam President, Commissioner, this is a further, significant step forward, because the Single Euro Payments Area will, as from the fateful date of 1 February 2014, represent the end of a journey that began with the common market and in which the single currency was an important stopping point.
It gives us an important economic advantage – as the Commissioner, to whom I am grateful for this, pointed out – which will result in cost savings of a billion euros a year compared to now, and which also represents a huge advantage for consumers. For this reason, the Single Euro Payments Area represents a welcome step forward for the Community method, which is at the very heart of this Parliament just as it is at the heart of my country.

