Governor Makhlouf launches Generation €uro Students’ Award

• Irish 4^th and 5^th year students can compete to win a chance to meet incoming ECB President Christine Lagarde in Frankfurt
• Budding economists are tasked with emulating the job of the ECB by predicting interest rate decisions
• First round open for entries until 1 December

Ireland’s brightest young economists will have a chance to meet incoming ECB President Christine Lagarde in Frankfurt by taking on one of the roles of the ECB in the Generation €uro Students’ Award, a schools competition launched today by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Now in its seventh year, the competition calls on transition year and fifth year students to simulate the role of the ECB’s Governing Council in determining appropriate interest rates for the euro area.

Speaking at the launch in St Mary’s College, Dundalk, Central Bank Governor Gabriel Makhlouf said “The Central Bank is delighted to recognise up and coming young economists through the Generation €uro Students’ Award. This competition gives us an opportunity to recognise excellence in the next generation of young economists.

“It also gives students the chance to build valuable life skills while challenging themselves to learn more about the work performed by the European Central Bank, the Eurosystem and the Central Bank of Ireland – institutions that contribute to monetary policy decisions and price stability and affect our daily lives.” Teams can consist of three to five students, with a nominated teacher acting as mentor.

Participants are tested over three different rounds. The first round, consisting of an online quiz on the role of the ECB and the Eurosystem, launched today.

Successful teams will proceed to the second round, where they are asked to analyse economic conditions and determine what they believe to be the appropriate interest rate for the euro area. Finalists will be chosen to attend the National Finals in 2020, where they will present their findings to a panel of senior economists at the Central Bank. 

The winning team and teacher will then travel to the ECB in Frankfurt for an award ceremony where they will meet incoming ECB President Christine Lagarde and the other winning teams from across Europe.

To register for the competition, teams should visit www.generationeuro.ie.  The closing date for registration and for completing the first round quiz is the 1 December 2019.