30/08/2001

Countdown begins for the introduction of euro tender

The European Central Bank (ECB) have launched a campaign to introduce the Euro as legal tender.

With the new currency set to become legal tender in four months across 12 European states, armoured vans will begin distributing some 50bn coins and 15bn notes that will be needed by shops on January 1, 2002.

The ECB plans to blanket the airwaves with its information campaign, using the slogan "the euro, our money”, while national governments will distribute millions of leaflets to homes and businesses, as well as holding conferences and fairs.

However, there are fears that unfamiliarity with the new currency will make it easy for counterfeiters and fraudsters, and that shops and retailers could take advantage of the changeover to secretly boost their prices when converting them into euros.

Advocates of the single currency believe that the final creation of a monetary union, with an economy nearly the size of the USA, will lead to lower prices across Europe and boost economic growth. (MB)

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