Together this direct usage of the euro outside the EU affects nearly 3 million people. The euro has been used as a trading currency in Cuba since 1998, Syria since 2006, and Venezuela since 2018. There are also various currencies pegged to the euro (see below). In 2009, Zimbabwe abandoned its local currency and used major currencies instead, including the euro and the United States dollar.
Direct usage
Euro
Euro | Direct usage
19 EU member states: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. It is a currency used within the EU members as well as outside. It  is the sole currency of 19 EU member states: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.
when did the euro come out in spain
user
2002
assistant
what is this ?
user
The euro (symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 of the member states of the European Union.
assistant
are there any inflation risk associated with it ?
user
In the short term, there was a widespread impression in the population of the eurozone that the introduction of the euro had led to an increase in prices, but this impression was not confirmed by general indices of inflation and other studies.
assistant
what are its linguistic issues ?
user
Bulgaria has negotiated an exception; "euro" in the Bulgarian Cyrillic alphabet is spelled as eвро and not eуро in all official documents. In the Greek script the term ευρώ (evró) is used
assistant
are its exchange rates flexible ?
user
Yes - In the years following the Single European Act, the EU has liberalised its capital markets and, as the ECB has inflation targeting as its monetary policy, the exchange-rate regime of the euro is floating.
assistant
what are its direct uses ?
user
It has been used as a trading currency in Cuba since 1998, Syria since 2006, and Venezuela since 2018.
assistant
where is this country located ?
user
Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
assistant
where is this currency used ?
user
The euro is the sole currency of 19 EU member states: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. These countries constitute the "eurozone", some 343 million people in total . With all but one (Denmark) of the remaining EU members obliged to join when economic conditions permit, together with future members of the EU, the enlargement of the eurozone is set to continue. Outside the EU, the euro is also the sole currency of Montenegro and Kosovo and several European microstates (Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City) as well as in five overseas territories of EU members that are not themselves part of the EU (Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, the French Southern and Antarctic Lands and Akrotiri and Dhekelia).
Euro | Direct usage
Together this direct usage of the euro outside the EU affects nearly 3 million people. The euro has been used as a trading currency in Cuba since 1998, Syria since 2006, and Venezuela since 2018. There are also various currencies pegged to the euro (see below). In 2009, Zimbabwe abandoned its local currency and used major currencies instead, including the euro and the United States dollar.
Euro | Direct usage
The euro (symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 of the member states of the European Union. This group of states is known as the eurozone or euro area and includes about 343 million citizens . The euro, which is divided into 100 cents, is the second-largest and second-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar. The currency is also used officially by the institutions of the European Union, by four European microstates that are not EU members, the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, as well as unilaterally by Montenegro and Kosovo.
Euro | Introduction
Euro coins from any member state may be freely used in any nation that has adopted the euro. The coins are issued in denominations of €2, €1, 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c, 2c, and 1c. To avoid the use of the two smallest coins, some cash transactions are rounded to the nearest five cents in the Netherlands and Ireland (by voluntary agreement) and in Finland (by law). This practice is discouraged by the commission, as is the practice of certain shops of refusing to accept high-value euro notes.
Euro | Coins and banknotes
Placement of the sign also varies. Countries have generally continued the style used for their former currencies. In those countries where previous convention was to place the currency sign before the figure, the euro sign is placed in the same position (e.g., €3.50). In those countries where the amount preceded the national currency sign, the euro sign is again placed in that relative position (e.g., 3,50 €). The Commission includes a guideline in its institutional style guide (for its own staff) on the use of the euro sign, stating it should be placed in front of the amount without any space in English, but after the amount in most other languages.
Euro sign | Use
Outside Europe, a number of special territories of EU members also use the euro as their currency. Additionally, over 200 million people worldwide use currencies pegged to the euro. The euro is the second-largest reserve currency as well as the second-most traded currency in the world after the United States dollar. , with more than €1.3 trillion in circulation, the euro has one of the highest combined values of banknotes and coins in circulation in the world.
Euro | Introduction
There are some non-EU members who have elected to use the euro as their national currency like Kosovo and Montenegro, either with or without specific agreements with the EU to do so, (those with agreements with the EU may mint their own euro coins). The French overseas territories and departments of Mayotte and Réunion in the Indian Ocean, Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Caribbean and French Guiana in South America all use the euro, among many other islands in the Pacific, Caribbean and indeed around the globe that are ruled directly by European countries. Some countries while maintaining their own national currency have pegged its value to the euro.
Economy of Europe | Currency and central banks
Euro (sign: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of the eurozone. Euro may also refer to:
Euro (disambiguation) | Introduction
In English language newspapers and periodicals, the euro sign—like the dollar sign ($) and the pound sign (£)—is placed before the figure, unspaced, as used by publications such as the "Financial Times" and "The Economist". When written out, "euro" is placed after the value in lower case; the plural is used for two or more units, and (in English) euro cents are separated with a point, not a comma (e.g., "1.50 euro", "14 euros").
Euro sign | Use
The term euro-cent is sometimes used in countries (such as Australia, Canada, and the United States) which also have "cent" as a currency subdivision, to distinguish them from their local coin. This usage, though unofficial, is mirrored on the coins themselves, which have the words "EURO" and "CENT" displayed on the common side.
Language and the euro | In English-speaking countries outside Europe
In various countries the euro is accepted by some merchants albeit not being official currency there. Additionally sometimes it is used for pricing purposes even if the actual payments are made in the official currency (e.g., for real estate).
International status and usage of the euro | Usage in states with another official currency
There are 25 currencies currently used in the 50 countries of Europe, all of which are members of the United Nations, except Vatican City, which is an observer. All "de facto" present currencies in Europe, and an incomplete list of the preceding currency, are listed here. A currency is a medium of exchange, such as money, banknotes, and coins. In Europe, the most commonly used currency is the euro (used by 25 countries); any country entering the European Union (EU) is expected to join the eurozone when they meet the five convergence criteria. Denmark is the only EU which have been granted an exemption from using the euro.
List of currencies in Europe | Introduction
The following are official and unofficial currencies used within the borders of the 27 EU Member states:
Currencies of the European Union | Current currencies
The euro is often accepted in shops in countries neighboring the Eurozone, like the borders areas and capitals of Poland, Czechia and Hungary, which are near to Germany, Austria, Slovenia or Slovakia, the border areas of Switzerland, the border of Sweden to Finland and more. Also, a large number of petrol stations and motorway service areas in European countries outside the eurozone accept euros, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Poland and Serbia allow payment of highway tolls in euros. The euro is explicitly present in some elements of the laws of these countries, as well as EEA countries, based on EU directives, for example money laundering.
International status and usage of the euro | EU members outside the Eurozone
Currently, the members of the Eurozone include Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland use their currencies (Croatian kuna, Czech koruna, Hungarian forint, Polish złoty), but are obliged to adopt the Euro. Switzerland uses its own currency – Swiss franc, Serbia too (Serbian dinar), as well as Romania (Romanian leu).
Central Europe | Currencies
Outside the EU, there are currently three French territories and a British territory that have agreements to use the euro as their currency. All other dependent territories of eurozone member states that have opted not to be a part of EU, usually with Overseas Country and Territory (OCT) status, use local currencies which are often pegged to the euro or US dollar. As non-sovereign entities, dependent territories which have adopted the euro are not permitted to mint euro coins like the European microstates, nor do they get a seat in the European Central Bank (ECB) or the Eurogroup. France is responsible for ensuring that the laws governing the EMU apply in their territories which use the euro.
International status and usage of the euro | Dependent territories outside the EU
The euro is the result of the European Union's project for economic and monetary union that came fully into being on 1 January 2002 and it is now the currency used by the majority of the European Union's member states, with all but Denmark bound to adopt it. It is the currency used by the institutions of the European Union and in the failed treaty on a European Constitution it was to be included with the symbols of Europe as the formal currency of the European Union. The euro is also widely used by other states outside the EU. Except for the one state with an opt out, all current and future members of the EU are obliged to adopt the Euro as their currency, thus replacing their current ones.
Currencies of the European Union | Euro
The international status and usage of the euro has grown since its launch in 1999. When the euro formally replaced 12 currencies on 1 January 2002, it inherited their use in territories such as Montenegro and replaced minor currencies tied to the pre-euro currencies, such as in Monaco. Four small states have been given a formal right to use the euro, and to mint their own coins, but all other usage outside the eurozone (the EU states who have adopted the euro) has been unofficial. With or without an agreement, these countries, unlike those in the eurozone, do not participate in the European Central Bank or the Eurogroup.
International status and usage of the euro | Introduction
The euro sign, , is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the Eurozone and some other countries (such as Kosovo and Montenegro). The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by two lines instead of one. In English, the sign precedes the value (for instance, €10); in most other European languages, the reverse is true (for instance, 10€).
Euro sign | Introduction
Its international usage has also grown as a trading currency, acting as an economic or political alternative to using the United States dollar. Its increasing usage in this sense has led to its becoming the only significant challenger to the US dollar as the world's main reserve currency.
International status and usage of the euro | Introduction
The euro inherited its status as a major reserve currency from the German mark (DM) and its contribution to official reserves has increased as banks seek to diversify their reserves and trade in the eurozone expands. As with the dollar, some of the world's currencies are pegged against the euro. They are usually Eastern European currencies like the Bulgarian lev, plus several west African currencies like the Cape Verdean escudo and the CFA franc. Other European countries, while not being EU members, have adopted the euro due to currency unions with member states, or by unilaterally superseding their own currencies: Andorra, Monaco, Kosovo, Montenegro, San Marino, and Vatican City.
World currency | Euro
Euro- is a prefix usually meaning "European", often applied in relation to the European Union. It may also refer to the unit of currency, the euro.
Euro- | Introduction
Several European microstates outside the EU have adopted the euro as their currency. For EU sanctioning of this adoption, a monetary agreement must be concluded. Prior to the launch of the euro, agreements were reached with Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City by EU member states (Italy in the case of San Marino and Vatican City, and France in the case of Monaco) allowing them to use the euro and mint a limited amount of euro coins (with their own national symbols on the obverse side) to be valid throughout the Eurozone. However, they cannot print banknotes. All of these states had previously had monetary agreements to use yielded eurozone currencies.
International status and usage of the euro | Sovereign states
The euro was founded on 1 January 1999, when it became the currency of over 300 million people in Europe. For the first three years of its existence it was an invisible currency, only used in accountancy. Euro cash was not introduced until 1 January 2002, when it replaced the national banknotes and coins of the countries in eurozone 12, such as the Belgian franc and the Greek drachma. Slovenia joined the Eurozone in 2007, Cyprus and Malta in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, Estonia in 2011, Latvia in 2014, and Lithuania in 2015.
20 euro note | History
The euro was founded on 1 January 1999, when it became the currency of over 300 million people in Europe. For the first three years of its existence it was an invisible currency, only used in accountancy. Euro cash was not introduced until 1 January 2002, when it replaced the national banknotes and coins of the countries in eurozone 12, such as the Finnish markka. Slovenia joined the Eurozone in 2007, Cyprus and Malta in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, Estonia in 2011, Latvia joined on 1 January 2014 and Lithuania joined on 1 January 2015.
200 euro note | History
Despite never being a member of the eurozone, the currency is used in the UK's Cypriot territories and as a secondary currency in Gibraltar; furthermore, London is home to the majority of the euro's clearing houses.
United Kingdom and the euro | Introduction
Several countries (such as Spain and Belgium) continue to use portraits of the reigning monarch; while the Republic of Ireland continues to use the State Arms, as on its earlier issues.
Obverse and reverse | Coins of the Eurozone
With the creation of the single European currency, the euro has been in effect since January 1, 2002.
Costa Brava | Currency
Andorra used the euro unofficially prior to June 2013, at which point the euro became its official currency. The euro remains the de facto currency in Kosovo and Montenegro.
De facto currency | Euro
Eurocurrency is currency held on deposit outside its home market, i.e., held in banks located outside of the country which issues the currency. For example, a deposit of US dollars held in a bank in London, would be considered eurocurrency, as the US dollar is deposited outside of its home market. The "Euro-" prefix does not refer exclusively to the "euro" currency or the "eurozone", as the term predates the creation of the euro. Instead, it can be applied to any combination of deposits in a foreign bank outside of its home market e.g. a deposit denominated in Japanese yen held in a Swiss bank is a Euroyen deposit.
Eurocurrency | Introduction
Currently operating in Europe and Latin America, the company has offices in several countries like Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Mexico. Eurotrials headquarters are located in Lisbon since the company’s inception.
Eurotrials | Location
However, it was used to price some international financial transactions and capital transfers.
European Currency Unit | Introduction
The euro was founded on 1 January 1999, when it became the currency of over 300 million people in Europe. For the first three years of its existence it was an invisible currency, only used in accountancy. Euro cash was not introduced until 1 January 2002, when it replaced the national banknotes and coins of the countries in eurozone 12, such as the French franc and the Spanish peseta. Slovenia joined the Eurozone in 2007, Cyprus and Malta in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, Estonia in 2011 Latvia in 2014, and Lithuania joined in 2015.
100 euro note | History
The euro is also used in countries outside the EU. Four states – Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City — have signed formal agreements with the EU to use the euro and issue their own coins. Nevertheless, they are not considered part of the eurozone by the ECB and do not have a seat in the ECB or Euro Group. Several currencies are pegged to the euro, some of them with a fluctuation band and others with an exact rate. For example, the West African and Central African CFA francs are pegged exactly at 655.957 CFA to 1 EUR.
Eurozone | With formal agreement
The Manx word for "euro" is either "oarey" (plural: "oaraghyn"), based on "Yn Oarpey" ("Europe"), or "euro", from English. "Cent" is either "kent" (plural: "kentyn") or "sent".
Language and the euro | Manx
The euro was founded on 1 January 1999, when it became the currency of over 300 million people in Europe. For the first three years of its existence it was an invisible currency, only used in accountancy. Euro cash was not introduced until 1 January 2002, when it replaced the national banknotes and coins of the countries in eurozone 12, such as the Luxembourgish franc. Slovenia joined the Eurozone in 2007, Cyprus and Malta in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, Estonia in 2011, Latvia in 2014 and Lithuania joined on 1 January 2015.
500 euro note | History
The official currency of the 19 Eurozone countries (and a number of other territories) is the euro (EUR). The motifs used are:
List of motifs on banknotes | Euro area (EU)
As the euro was being adopted in Ireland the Department of Finance decided to use the word "euro" as both the singular and plural forms of the currency. And some media outlets, including the national broadcaster RTÉ, followed suit. The print media still frequently uses "euro" for plural amounts, although use of "euros" is also common. Slang terms: As in the Netherlands, slang terms that were previously applied to punts have been carried over to the euro currency. For example, "quid" (same in singular and plural), which once referred to an Irish pound (and in the UK still refers to a British pound) is used as a synonym for "euro".
Language and the euro | In Ireland
Some tourist-oriented shops in the United Kingdom accept the euro. In Northern Ireland, as a border area, the euro is accepted in many shops.
International status and usage of the euro | United Kingdom
The euro was founded on 1 January 1999, when it became the currency of over 300 million people in Europe. For the first three years of its existence it was an invisible currency, only used in accountancy. Euro cash was not introduced until 1 January 2002, when it replaced the national banknotes and coins of the countries in eurozone 12, such as the Irish pound and the Austrian schilling. Slovenia joined the Eurozone in 2007, Cyprus and Malta in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, Estonia in 2011 and Latvia on 1 January 2014.
5 euro note | History
The euro was founded on 1 January 1999, when it became the currency of over 300 million people in Europe. For the first three years of its existence it was an invisible currency, only used in accountancy. Euro cash was not introduced until 1 January 2002, when it replaced the national banknotes and coins of the countries in eurozone 12, such as the Italian lira and the German mark. Slovenia joined the Eurozone in 2007, Cyprus and Malta in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, Estonia in 2011, Latvia joined on 1 January 2014. and Lithuania joined on 1 January 2015.
10 euro note | History
The laws can for example mention certain amounts in euro above which certain rules apply.
International status and usage of the euro | EU members outside the Eurozone
Selected chain stores in the Czech Republic accept payments in euro cash, and return change in Czech koruna.
Czech Republic and the euro | Euro use
The euro is divided into 100 cents (also referred to as "euro cents", especially when distinguishing them from other currencies, and referred to as such on the common side of all cent coins). In Community legislative acts the plural forms of "euro" and "cent" are spelled without the "s", notwithstanding normal English usage. Otherwise, normal English plurals are used, with many local variations such as "centime" in France. All circulating coins have a "common side" showing the denomination or value, and a map in the background. Due to the linguistic plurality in the European Union, the Latin alphabet version of "euro" is used (as opposed to the less common Greek or Cyrillic) and Arabic numerals (other text is used on national sides in national languages, but other text on the common side is avoided).
Euro | Coins and banknotes
Living Latin enthusiasts use "euro", -"onis" (pl. "eurones"); sometimes also "euronummus", "-i" (pl. "euronummi"), "eurum", "-i" (pl. "eura") or even "euronus", "-i" (pl. "euroni").
Language and the euro | Latin
The Eurozone refers to the European Union member states that have adopted the euro currency union as the third stage of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Further, certain states outside the EU have adopted the euro as their currency, despite not belonging to the EMU. Thus, a total of 25 states, including 19 European Union states and six non-EU members, currently use the euro. The Eurozone came into existence with the official launch of the euro on 1 January 1999. Physical coins and banknotes were introduced on 1 January 2002. The original members were Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.
European integration | Eurozone
The coins have been used from 2002, though some are dated 1999 which is the year the euro was created as a currency, but not put into general circulation.
2 euro coin | Design
The formal titles of the currency are "euro" for the major unit and "cent" for the minor (one-hundredth) unit and for official use in most eurozone languages; according to the ECB, all languages should use the same spelling for the nominative singular. This may contradict normal rules for word formation in some languages, e.g., those in which there is no "eu" diphthong. Bulgaria has negotiated an exception; "euro" in the Bulgarian Cyrillic alphabet is spelled as eвро ("evro") and not eуро ("euro") in all official documents. In the Greek script the term ευρώ (evró) is used; the Greek "cent" coins are denominated in λεπτό/ά (leptó/á).
Euro | Linguistic issues
It has yet to enter widespread colloquial use, however.
Language and the euro | Turkish
Commas (e.g. €5,00) or decimal points (e.g. $50.00) are common separators used in other countries.
Currency symbol | Usage
Some colloquial names for currency are also in use for the euro, carried over from the drachma. One and two euro coins are respectively called ("frago") and ("difrago") from the French "franc". A 5 euro banknote is also colloquially called ("taliro") from the Germanic root "thaler" via the Italian "talero". A 10 euro banknote is called ("dekariko"), a 20 euro banknote is called ("eikosariko") or ("eikosari"), and a 50 euro banknote is called ("penintariko"), derivatives of the words for ten, twenty and fifty.
Language and the euro | Greek
In Hindi, the euro is spelt as यूरो (Yūro), while cent is written as सेंट (seṇṭ). Both the words are not pluralised. Europe is known as यूरोप (Yūrop) in Hindi.
Language and the euro | Hindi
In 1998, Cuba announced that it would replace the US dollar with the euro as its official currency for the purposes of international trading. On 1 December 2002, North Korea did the same. (Its internal currency, the wŏn, is not convertible and thus cannot be used to purchase foreign goods. The euro also enjoys popularity domestically, especially among elites and resident foreigners.) Syria followed suit in 2006. In 2000, President of Iraq Saddam Hussein began the sale of his country's oil denominated in euros rather than US dollars since the majority of Iraqi oil trade was with the EU, India and China rather than the United States.
International status and usage of the euro | Trading currency
The euro was founded on 1 January 1999, when it became the currency of over 300 million people in Europe. For the first three years of its existence it was an invisible currency, only used in accounting. Euro cash was not introduced until 1 January 2002, when it replaced the national banknotes and coins of the 12 countries in the eurozone, such as the Dutch guilder and the Portuguese escudo. Today, the €50 note is used by some 332 million Europeans and in the 22 countries which have it as their sole currency (with 20 legally adopting it). Slovenia joined the Eurozone in 2007, Cyprus and Malta in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, Estonia in 2011, Latvia in 2014, and Lithuania in 2015.
50 euro note | History
Beginning in the year 1999 with some EU member states, now 19 out of EU states use the euro as official currency in a currency union. The remaining 8 states continued to use their own currency with the possibility to join the euro later. The euro is also the most widely used currency in the EU. Since 1992 the Maastricht Treaty sets out rigid economic and fiscal convergence criteria for the states joining the euro. Starting 1997, the Stability and Growth Pact has been started to ensure continuing economic and fiscal stability and convergence. Denmark is not a part of the eurozone due to its special opt-outs concerning the later joining of the euro.
Economy of the European Union | Currency
In some of these countries, there is a fixed exchange rate between the national currency and the euro and in this case the currency is actually a submultiple of the euro. In other countries, the national currency's value fluctuates within a band (generally 15%) around a set rate. Currencies pegged to the euro include the currencies of Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Cape Verde. Denmark has a foreign exchange band tied to the euro.
Economy of Europe | Currency and central banks
Eurostile is used in Canadian Journey series of Canadian dollar bank notes.
Eurostile | Currency
Site translation and various other tasks are handled by a group of active EBT users. EuroBillTracker is not affiliated with the European Union, European Central Bank, national central banks or other financial institutions. Using EBT is completely free. Unlike Where's George?, EuroBillTracker requires users to register an account before they can enter details of banknotes.
EuroBillTracker | Characteristics
The slash is used in currency exchange rate notation to express exchange rates, the ratio of the first currency in terms of the second. For example, EUR/USD "x" expresses that the value of 1 euro in terms of US dollars is "x". This value may then be multiplied by any number of euros to find its value in dollars.
Slash (punctuation) | Currency
In contrast, the five overseas regions used the French franc and now use the euro.
France | Overseas territories and collectivities
Outside the eurozone, a total of 22 countries and territories that do not belong to the EU have currencies that are directly pegged to the euro including 14 countries in mainland Africa (CFA franc), two African island countries (Comorian franc and Cape Verdean escudo), three French Pacific territories (CFP franc) and three Balkan countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark), Bulgaria (Bulgarian lev) and North Macedonia (Macedonian denar). On 28 July 2009, São Tomé and Príncipe signed an agreement with Portugal which will eventually tie its currency to the euro. Additionally, the Moroccan dirham is tied to a basket of currencies, including the euro and the US dollar, with the euro given the highest weighting.
Euro | Currencies pegged to the euro
The reverse (used from 2007 onwards) was designed by Luc Luycx and displays a map of Europe, not including Iceland and cutting off, in a semicircle, at the Bosphorus, north through the middle of Ukraine, then Russia and through northern Scandinavia. Cyprus is located further west than it should be and Malta is shown disproportionately large so that it appears on the map. The map has numerous indentations giving an appearance of geography rather than a flat design. Six fine lines cut across the map except where there is landmass and have a star at each end—reflecting the twelve stars on the flag of Europe.
1 euro coin | Reverse (common) side
The eurozone, officially called the euro area, is a monetary union of 19 member states of the European Union (EU) that have adopted the euro (€) as their primary currency and sole legal tender. The monetary authority of the eurozone is the Eurosystem. Eight members of the European Union continue to use their own national currencies, although most of them will be obliged to adopt the euro in the future. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. Other EU states (except for Denmark) are obliged to join once they meet the criteria to do so.
Eurozone | Introduction
There are countries which, though not official members of the Eurozone, still use the euro as legal or de facto currency, through official agreements with the EU. These are European microstates which are largely economically dependent on their larger Eurozone-member neighbours. Some other countries unilaterally decided to use the Euro without having currently a formal agreement with the EU.
Third-country economic relationships with the European Union | Eurozone-related
There are eight euro coin denominations, ranging from one cent to two euros (the euro is divided into a hundred cents). The coins first came into use in 1999. They have a common reverse, portraying a map of Europe, but each country in the eurozone has its own design on the obverse, which means that each coin has a variety of different designs in circulation at once. Four European microstates that are not members of the European Union (Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican City) use the euro as their currency and also have the right to mint coins with their own designs on the obverse side.
Euro coins | Introduction
United States currency, for instance, is globally referred to as USD. The former currencies include the marks that used formerly in Germany and Finland. The International Monetary Fund uses a different system when referring to national currencies.
Currency | Modern currencies
Kosovo* and Montenegro officially adopted the euro as their sole currency without an agreement and, therefore, have no issuing rights. These states are not considered part of the eurozone by the ECB. However, sometimes the term "eurozone" is applied to all territories that have adopted the euro as their sole currency. Further unilateral adoption of the euro (euroisation), by both non-euro EU and non-EU members, is opposed by the ECB and EU.
Eurozone | Other
Russia currently borders four eurozone members, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. They supply much of the euro inflow in Russia in trade exchange and tourism. In Russian, just like in Bulgarian, euro is spelt евро ("jevro", pronounced ) both in the singular and the plural, while "cent" is цент (sg.) and центы (pl.), though there are many colloquial semi-ironic forms such as евры 'jevry' or еврики 'jevriki' (there's no plural form for "euro" in Russian), копейки for cents and others. Just as in Italian, although евро could have been declined as a regular neuter noun, it was made indeclinable like many neutral loanwords ending in a vowel: бюро "bureau, office, writing-desk", пальто "overcoat", бордо "Bordeaux wine, claret" etc.; the same form is used in the singular and the plural.
Language and the euro | Russian
If a state leaves the European Union, Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union says that "Treaties shall cease to apply to the State in question". If the state has been using the euro as its currency then, rather than form a new domestic currency, it might continue to use the euro unilaterally or by way of a monetary agreement with the EU as Montenegro or Andorra do without being a member of the EU.
Withdrawal from the eurozone | Withdrawal from the European Union
For the denominations except the 1-, 2- and 5-cent coins, the map only showed the 15 member states which were members when the euro was introduced. Beginning in 2007 or 2008 (depending on the country), the old map was replaced by a map of Europe also showing countries outside the EU like Norway, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and Turkey. The 1-, 2- and 5-cent coins, however, keep their old design, showing a geographical map of Europe with the 15 member states of 2002 raised somewhat above the rest of the map. All common sides were designed by Luc Luycx. The coins also have a "national side" showing an image specifically chosen by the country that issued the coin.
Euro | Coins and banknotes
Kosovo (in the Balkans) is not a member of the European Union, but the country unilaterally adopted the euro in 2002 during United Nations Interim Administration mandate and have since used it as their de facto currency, although, it's not an official eurozone member. This means that the euro is not legal tender there, but is treated as such by the population. Before 2002, Kosovars used German marks.
Kosovo and the euro | Introduction
Several linguistic issues have arisen in relation to the spelling of the words euro and cent in the many languages of the member states of the European Union, as well as in relation to grammar and the formation of plurals. In official documents, the name "euro" must be used for the nominative singular in all languages, though different alphabets are taken into account and plural forms and declensions are accepted. In documents other than EU legal texts, including national legislation, other spellings are accepted according to the various grammatical rules of the respective language. For European Union legislation, the spelling of the words for the currency is prescribed for each language; in the English-language version of European Union legislation the forms "euro" and "cent" are used invariantly in the singular and plural, even though this departs from usual English practice for currencies.
Language and the euro | Introduction
Currency: Euro (since 2002)Symbol: €Subdivision: Cent ()Symbol: n/aCurrency Code: EUR"See also Euro coins."
List of people on coins | European Union
Montenegro and Kosovo have also used the euro since its launch, as they previously used the German mark rather than the Yugoslav dinar. Unlike the states above, they do not have a formal agreement with the EU to use the euro as their currency, and have never minted marks or euros; rather, they depend on bills and coins already in circulation. There were political concerns that Serbia could use the currency to destabilise these territories (Montenegro was then in a union with Serbia) so they received Western help in adopting and using the mark (though there was no restriction on the use of the dinar or any other currency).
International status and usage of the euro | Unilateral adopters
No state has left, and there are no provisions to do so or to be expelled. Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City have formal agreements with the EU to use the euro as their official currency and issue their own coins. Kosovo* UNSC 1244 and Montenegro have adopted the euro unilaterally, but these countries do not officially form part of the eurozone and do not have representation in the European Central Bank (ECB) or in the Eurogroup. The ECB, which is governed by a president and a board of the heads of national central banks, sets the monetary policy of the zone.
Eurozone | Introduction
Plural: In German, "Euro" and "Cent" are used as both singular and plural when following a numeral, as is the case with all units of measurement of masculine (e.g. "Meter", "Dollar") or neuter gender (e.g. "Kilo[gramm]", etc.). However, when talking about individual coins, the plurals "Euros" and "Cents" are used. The only other marked case is the genitive singular, which is "(des) Euros" or, alternatively, "des Euro." Pronunciation: The beginning of the word "Euro" is pronounced in German with the diphthong , which sounds similar to the 'oi' in the English word "oil".
Language and the euro | German
In Korean of South Korea, the Euro is called "yuro" (유로) and Cent is called "senteu" (센트). The word for Europe in Korean is "Yureop" (유럽). They are all based on the English pronunciation.
Language and the euro | Korean
On 13 October 2009, the index rose by 208.45 points, near its historical high point.
Euro Currency Index | Historical overview
Prior to 2006, the inter-institutional style guide recommended use of "euro" and "cent" without the plural "s", and the translation style guide recommended use of invariant plurals (without "s") when amending or referring to original legislation but use of regular plurals in documents intended for the general public.
Language and the euro | English
There are nine currencies of the European Union used officially by member states. The euro accounts for the majority of the member states with the remainder operating independent monetary policies. Those European Union states that have adopted it are known as the eurozone and share the European Central Bank (ECB). The ECB and the national central banks of all EU countries, including those who operate an independent currency, are part of the European System of Central Banks.
Currencies of the European Union | Introduction
Official practice for English-language EU legislation (not necessarily in national legislation) is to use the words "euro" and "cent" as both singular and plural. This practice originally arose out of legislation intended to ensure that the banknotes were uncluttered with a string of plurals. Because the "s"-less plurals had become "enshrined" in EU legislation, the Commission decided to retain those plurals in English in legislation even while allowing regular plurals in other languages. The Directorate-General for Translation now recommends that the regular plurals, "euros" and "cents", be used. The European Commission Directorate-General for Translation's "English Style Guide" (a handbook for authors and translators in the European Commission) previously recommended the use of regular plurals for documents intended for the general public but now has no restriction on usage.
Language and the euro | English
In the Greek language the indeclinable word () is used as the currency's name. It was decided to use omega (ω) rather than omicron (ο) as the last letter of the word, partly because a noun ending with omicron would encourage mutability, and partly to stress the origin of the euro in the Greek word ("Eurōpē", Europe) which is also spelt with omega and it is actually written on the euro notes in Greek as . Also, the spelling (resulting in a plural ) on the notes could have confused other Europeans, who might read it as a string of Latin letters: "eypo".
Language and the euro | Greek
Starting in 2017 the 1, 2 and 5 cent coins from individual member states have started adjusting their common side design to a new version, identified by smaller and more rounded numeral and longer lines outside of the stars at the coin's circumference. Cyprus is shown several hundred kilometres north west of its real position in order to include it on the map. On the €1 and €2 coins, the island is shown to be directly east of mainland Greece; on the 10c, 20c and 50c coins, it appears directly below Crete. The original proposal from the European Commission was to include Turkey on the map, but this design was rejected by the Council.
Euro coins | Current design
Since January 2001 the country decided to take this currency as a sole legal tender, because a sufficient amount of Deutsche Mark were in circulation, and for this reason there was no need to use the Dinar as the national currency.
Montenegro and the euro | Deutsche Mark
In Japanese the euro is called "yūro" (ユーロ) based on the English pronunciation, using the katakana syllabary employed for foreign words. However, the word for Europe in Japanese is "yōroppa" (ヨーロッパ), probably borrowed from the Portuguese "Europa" () or from the Dutch "Europa", not English. The cent uses the same word employed for all currencies using cents. This is rendered "sento" (or セント in the katakana script) and it is also based on the English pronunciation. In Japanese, like other East Asian languages, no plurals are used for units so both "yūro" and "sento" are used as the singular and plural.
Language and the euro | Japanese
This caused their status in the EU to briefly be in legal limbo until ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon reaffirmed both territories remained in the EU. The euro continued to be used in both territories throughout this time without incident. When Saint Barthélemy subsequently became an overseas territory of the European Union on 1 January 2012, changing its status to an OCT, the territory had to sign a monetary agreement to continue using the euro.
International status and usage of the euro | Dependent territories outside the EU
A list of all currencies, current and historic. The local name of the currency is used in this list, with the adjectival form of the country or region.
List of currencies | Introduction
The most common currency within Europe is the Euro (€), the currency of the European Union. To join, each new EU member must meet certain criteria, when these are met their own currencies will be replaced by the euro. Becoming a member of the EU involves a pledge to work towards Eurozone membership, (except in the case of Denmark, which has opt-outs). Currently, 19 of the 27 EU member states use the euro. Each EU member's central bank is part of the European System of Central Banks, and in addition, those that use the euro are part of the European Union's central bank, the European Central Bank.
Economy of Europe | Currency and central banks
The reverse (used from 2007 onwards) was designed by Luc Luycx and displays a map of Europe, not including Iceland and cutting off, in a semicircle, at the Bosporus, north through the middle of Ukraine and Belarus and through northern Scandinavia. Cyprus is located further west than it should be and Malta is shown disproportionally large so it appears on the map. The map has numerous indentations giving an appearance of geography rather than a flat design. Six fine lines cut across the map except where there is landmass and have a star at each end – reflecting the twelve stars on the flag of Europe.
2 euro coin | Reverse (common) side
1. EuroVoc: 7206 Europe
Eurovoc | References
Kosovo and Montenegro have unilaterally adopted and used the euro since its launch, as they previously used the German mark rather than the Yugoslav dinar. This was due to political concerns that Serbia would use the currency to destabilise these provinces (Montenegro was then in a union with Serbia) so they received Western help in adopting and using the mark (though there was no restriction on the use of the dinar or any other currency). They switched to the euro when the mark was replaced, but have signed no monetary agreement with the ECB; rather the country depends only on euros already in circulation.
Enlargement of the eurozone | Kosovo and Montenegro
A special euro currency sign (€) was designed after a public survey had narrowed the original ten proposals down to two. The European Commission then chose the design created by the Belgian Alain Billiet. Of the symbol, the Commission stated The European Commission also specified a euro logo with exact proportions and foreground and background colour tones. Placement of the currency sign relative to the numeric amount varies from state to state, but for texts in English the symbol (or the ISO-standard "EUR") should precede the amount.
Euro | Currency sign
Four of the dependent territories of EU member states not part of the EU have adopted the euro:
Eurozone | Dependent territories of EU member states — outside EU
They switched to the euro when the mark was replaced. In North Kosovo, which is mainly populated by the Serbian minority, the Serbian dinar, which replaced the Yugoslav dinar, continues to be used despite its lack of recognition or use elsewhere in Kosovo. The use of the euro in Montenegro and Kosovo has helped stabilise their economies, and for this reason the adoption of the euro by small states has been encouraged by former Finance Commissioner Joaquín Almunia. Former European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet has stated the ECB – which does not grant representation to those who unilaterally adopt the euro – neither supports nor deters those wishing to use the currency.
International status and usage of the euro | Unilateral adopters
The English plural of the word euro was first defined as "euro" without final "s", before becoming "euros" with a final "s".
Euro English | Vocabulary
Official practice for English-language EU legislation is to use the words euro and cent as both singular and plural, although the European Commission's Directorate-General for Translation states that the plural forms "euros" and "cents" should be used in English.
Euro | Linguistic issues
The original centre of the Eurozone is located in France. This location has changed with the accession of new countries into the Eurozone (e.g. Slovakia 2009).
Geographical midpoint of Europe | Eurozone
The Euroeuro market involves deposits of euros outside of the jurisdiction of the European Central Bank.
Eurocurrency | Euroeuro Market
Rather, they depend on bills and coins already in circulation.
Montenegro and the euro | Coins
Generating the euro sign using a computer depends on the operating system and national conventions. Initially, some mobile phone companies issued an interim software update for their special SMS character set, replacing the less-frequent Japanese yen sign with the euro sign. Subsequent mobile phones have both currency signs. The euro is represented in the Unicode character set with the character name EURO SIGN and the code position U+20AC (decimal 8364) as well as in updated versions of the traditional Latin character set encodings. In HTML, the entity can also be used. An implicit character encoding, along with the fact that the code position of the euro sign is different in historic encoding schemes (code pages), led to many initial problems displaying the euro sign consistently in computer applications, depending on access method.
Euro sign | Use on computers and mobile phones