EUROPA

Summaries of EU legislation

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Practical aspects of introducing the euro

The euro provides numerous advantages for citizens: a single currency for euro zone countries, the same costs for both national and cross-frontier bank transfers, and a stable business environment. The process leading to the single currency started well before euro notes and coins were introduced in the first Member States in January 2002.

• PRACTICAL ASPECTS
  • The citizen and the euro
    • Cross-border payments in euros
    • New legal framework (NLF) for payments
  • Euro notes and coins
    • Issuance of euro coins
    • National sides and issuance of euro coins
    • Denominations and technical specifications of Euro coins
    • Euro banknotes: denominations, specifications, reproduction, exchange and withdrawal
    • Changes to the national sides of euro coinsArchives
    • Common guidelines: the national sides of euro coinsArchives
  • Switching over to euro notes and coins
    • The successful introduction of the euro in Slovenia
    • Practical aspects of the introduction of the euro: review of the situation
    • Green Paper on the practical arrangements for the introduction of the single currencyArchives
    • Impact on capital markets
    • The impact on Community policies, institutions and legislation
    • Preparations for public administrations
  • Information strategy for the euro
    • Information and communication strategy on the euro and EMU
    • Information strategy for the euroArchives
    • Euro information strategy: final stages of implementing EMU
  • First assessments
    • EMU@10: successes and challenges after 10 years of Economic and Monetary Union
    • Five years of Euro banknotes and coins
    • The euro area in the world economy - Developments in the first three years
    • Review of the introduction of euro notes and coins
    • The introduction of euro banknotes and coins: one year on
• HISTORICAL ASPECTS
  • Towards a single currency: a brief history of EMU
  • First stage: preliminary reforms and beginning of convergence (1 July 1990 - 31 December 1993)
    • The second stage of the EMU
    • Progressive convergence during stage one of EMUArchives
  • Second stage: preparation by the Member States for EMU (1 January 1994 - 31 December 1998)
    • Prohibition of privileged access to financial institutions
    • Prohibition on the central banks granting credit facilities to public authorities and undertakings
    • Broad economic policy guidelines (1996)Archives
    • Broad economic policy guidelines (1997)Archives
    • Convergence in the European Union in 1996Archives
    • Convergence in the European Union in 1997Archives
  • Third stage: preparation by the Member States for EMU (from 1 January 1999)
    • Third stage of Economic and Monetary Union