THE introduction of European Monetary Union must be a priority among the challenges facing Thames Valley businesses, Sir Nigel Mobbs has warned.

The president of the Thames Valley branch of the Institute of Directors was speaking at its AGM last Friday.

He said: "EMU must be high on all our agendas, not merely because we very shortly have to be invoicing and receiving payments in this new currency, but because the spill-over of policies in Europe is bound to affect us all."

He said he believed EMU would lead to weak monetary policies and a resulting rise in interest rates.

Sir Nigel also said that skills shortages look likely to continue in the Thames Valley and spoke of the need for continued investment in roads, particularly in cross-valley connections.

"We have to ensure that the phrase 'integrated transport systems' does not become a euphemism for the exclusion of the car," he said.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.