SEPA goes Live

Official Launch of the Single Euro Payments Area

 

To mark the official launch of the SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area), Charlie McCreevy (Internal Market and Services Commissioner, European Commission), Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell (Member of the Executive Board, European Central Bank) and Gerard Hartsink (Chairman, European Payments Council) are organising a high-level SEPA launch event, entitled “SEPA GOES LIVE”, with distinguished guests from the EU payments market. The event will be held at the Charlemagne Building, in Brussels, on 28 January 2008, starting at 6.00 p.m.

SEPA is the new Single Euro Payments Area that enables people to make cashless payments throughout the euro area as quickly, safely and easily as they make national payments. In SEPA, all euro payments are considered domestic and are made with one set of payment instruments. SEPA is thus a natural progression to the introduction of the euro and another major step in realising the full potential of the single market for Europe.

On 28 January 2008 an important milestone in the SEPA migration process will be reached, with the official launch of the first SEPA payment instrument for credit transfers.

To celebrate this occasion, the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the European Payments Council, as the key promoters of SEPA, are holding a joint high-level SEPA launch event, entitled “SEPA GOES LIVE”.