Magazine / History / Euro / From the press | 19/02/2008

A symbol of inflation or identification?

15 EU states already have the euro. Four others have applied to introduce it but do not yet fulfil the strict criteria set by the European Central Bank (ECB). European politicians disagree about the policy pursued by the ECB. How does the euro affect European relations?

euro|topics dossiers

Main focus of Wednesday, 2. January 2008

Cyprus and Malta join the Eurozone

Cyprus and Malta, members of the EU since 2004, adopted the European currency on January 1st 2008. The Eurozone now has fifteen members. The European ... » more

Main focus of Thursday, 18. October 2007

European identities and the euro

Just before the opening of the EU summit in Lisbon, a few controversial issues still remain to be resolved. One is Bulgaria's insistence that the ... » more

Main focus of Tuesday, 9. October 2007

The Euro Zone to speak with one voice

The finance ministers of Euro Zone countries met in Luxembourg on Monday, October 8th to examine the issue of the constantly rising euro. They will ... » more

Main focus of Friday, 13. July 2007

The Euro keeps on climbing

The euro reached a record high exchange against the dollar on Thursday, July 12th, at $1.3798, after having already set a record last Tuesday. The ... » more

Main focus of Friday, 10. August 2007

The ECB attempts to stymie the financial market crisis

The crisis of confidence affecting American mortgages has spread to the Old Continent. The French bank BNP Paribas triggered doubts when it suspended withdrawals from three investment ... » more

Denmark

Jyllands-Posten - Denmark | Wednesday, 16. January 2008

The abolishment of special EU rules for Denmark?

Within the EU, Denmark has a special status and can respond more independently than the other member states when it comes to defence policy, legal ... » more

Germany

Süddeutsche Zeitung - Germany | Friday, 29. December 2006

Thomas Steinfeld on the secret of the euro's success

On January 1st 2007 it will be five years since the euro was first introduced. German journalist Thomas Steinfeld sees the unpopularity of the European ... » more

Estonia

Postimees - Estonia | Friday, 26. January 2007

Slovenia as a role model for Estonia?

On 1 January 2007 the Slovenians converted to the euro, while Estonia, which had originally planned to convert to the euro on the same date, ... » more

Finland

Hufvudstadsbladet - Finland | Monday, 4. June 2007

Euro countries soon to be in the majority

Twelve of the 15 "old" EU member states have adopted the euro. Björn Mansson points out that the enlargement of the EU to encompass 27 ... » more

Britain

Financial Times - United Kingdom | Thursday, 4. May 2006

An appeal for looser criteria for euro-zone hopefuls

Europe should relax its inflation criteria for euro-zone hopefuls Estonia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Latvia and Slovakia, urge Willem Buiter and Anne Sibert, of the London School ... » more

Financial Times - United Kingdom | Monday, 29. January 2007

Why the UK should keep its distance from the EU

Norman Blackwell, chairman of the think tank Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), considers Britain's relationship with the EU. "As one of the world's largest trading ... » more

Lithuania

Omni.lt - Lithuania | Monday, 12. June 2006

Lithuania and the euro

Owing to an inflation rate that is approximately 0.1 percent higher than that stipulated by the Maastrich criteria, Lithuania is not to be permitted to ... » more

Malta

Malta Today - Malta | Sunday, 6. January 2008

Integrating European values as well as the euro in Malta

Malta's conversion to the euro started on January 1st 2008. The weekly hopes that "the use of the euro will also start the process of ... » more

Austria

Der Standard - Austria | Thursday, 27. September 2007

Turkey erased

Michael Moravec reports on the dispute over the new euro coins that are to come out next year: "While the current coins feature only the ... » more

Die Presse - Austria | Monday, 5. February 2007

Germany puts Europeans under pressure to reform

In an article written for the Project Syndicate and reprinted by the Austrian daily, economist Melvyn Krauss examines how the introduction of the euro has ... » more

Poland

Gazeta Wyborcza - Poland | Tuesday, 20. November 2007

Has Poland missed its opportunity to introduce the euro?

Witold Gadomski calls for the rapid introduction of the euro in Poland. In his opinion the former governing PiS party postponed the step unnecessarily. "If ... » more

Sweden

Main focus of Thursday, 18. October 2007

European identities and the euro

Just before the opening of the EU summit in Lisbon, a few controversial issues still remain to be resolved. One is Bulgaria's insistence that the ... » more

Sydsvenska Dagbladet - Sweden | Monday, 26. November 2007

Denmark and Sweden on the path to the euro?

Denmark's re-elected Head of Government Anders Fogh Rasmussen wants to hold another referendum on the introduction of the euro. This has sparked a similar debate ... » more

Switzerland

Le Temps - Switzerland | Monday, 26. November 2007

Baltic States' accesson to the Eurozone is compromised

Istvan Zsoldos, an economist from Goldman Sachs investment bank, highlights the rapid growth of the Baltic States - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - and considers ... » more

Le Temps - Switzerland | Friday, 28. September 2007

The euro zone is disunited

Jean Pisani-Ferry, from the Breugel Institute of Economic Analysis in Brussels, considers that "disunity poses a problem" in the euro zone. "It suffices to listen ... » more

L'Hebdo - Switzerland | Thursday, 1. February 2007

The euro is not responsible for inflation

"Launched five years ago, the euro, having been an object of pride, is now being accused of all evils", notes the chronicler Jacques Pilet for ... » more

Slovakia

Týždeň - Slovakia | Wednesday, 9. January 2008

Slovakia's road to the euro

Robert Zitnansky is confident that Slovakia fulfils the criteria for entry into the Eurozone in 2009. But he wonders how left-populist Slovak Prime Minister Robert ... » more

Sme - Slovakia | Monday, 19. March 2007

Slovak currency catching up with the euro

The Slovak crown rose 8.5 percent against the euro this weekend in a step approved by the Slovak government, the members of the eurozone and ... » more

Hungary

Népszabadság - Hungary | Saturday, 23. December 2006

The euro with a Hungarian accent

Hungary's MEPs can seldom agree on anything but just before Christmas they agreed on a joint demand: if the euro is introduced in Hungary it ... » more

Czech Republic

Hospodářské noviny - Czech Republic | Monday, 21. August 2006

Czech Republic won't convert to euro until after 2010

It looks like the Czech Republic won't be able to introduce the euro until after 2010 because it won't be able to meet the stability ... » more

Respekt - Czech Republic | Thursday, 8. November 2007

The Czech Republic reluctant to introduce the euro

The euro is strong, but the Czech crown is even stronger. For years now the Czech currency has been hitting record highs. "Yet the Cabinet ... » more

Hospodářské noviny - Czech Republic | Friday, 29. June 2007

Monetary union: euro newcomers unwelcome?

According to a Reuters News Agency report, in an internal letter the European Central Bank (ECB) calls into question the plans for allowing Slovakia to ... » more

Cyprus

Phileleftheros - Cyprus | Tuesday, 4. December 2007

Cyprus fears the eurozone

On January 1st, 2008, Cyprus will be joining the eurozone. This is worrying a number of inhabitants. "A large majority of Cypriots are sceptical regarding ... » more

Cyprus Mail - Cyprus | Saturday, 5. January 2008

The euro makes Cyprus more competitive

The paper is happy with the country's transition to the euro. "Inevitably, as people began using the euro this week, stories emerged of outrageous profiteering ... » more

The role of the ECB

Der Standard - Austria | Friday, 25. January 2008

ECB as scapegoat of the world economy?

Eric Frey takes the side of Jean-Claude-Trichet, director of the European Central Bank, who was criticized by politicians and economists for maintaining the average interest ... » more

ABC - Spain | Thursday, 24. January 2008

Should the ECB put aside the struggle against inflation ?

The European Central Bank (ECB) declared on January 23rd that a lowering of interest rates is not, for the time being, on schedule in the ... » more

Le Temps - Switzerland | Friday, 7. September 2007

The ECB's wait-and-see stance is an avowal of impotence

Jean-Claude Péclet reacts to the decision announced by the European Central Bank (BCE) on Thursday, September 6th, to leave its interest rate unchanged at 4%, ... » more

El País - Spain | Tuesday, 28. August 2007

ECB prudence

Responding to the recent stock market crisis, the president of the European Central Bank Jean-Claude Trichet brought up the possibility of not raising the prime ... » more

Further articles on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Europe
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Europe