History of the euro - wikipedia History of the euro Part of a series on the History of the European Union Timeline Pre-1945 ideas 1945 -- 1957 1958 -- 1972 1973 -- 1993 1993 -- 2004 2004 -- present Organisation European Communities ( 1958 -- 2009 ) European Coal and Steel Community ( 1952 -- 2002 ) European Economic Community ( 1958 -- 1993 ) European Atomic Energy Community ( 1958 -- present ) European Community ( 1993 -- 2009 ) Justice and Home Affairs ( 1993 -- 2003 ) Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters ( 2003 -- 2009 ) Common Foreign and Security Policy pillar ( 1993 -- 2009 ) Western European Union ( 1954 -- 2011 ) Western Union ( 1948 -- 1954 ) Treaties Treaty of Paris 1951 Treaty of Rome 1957 Merger Treaty 1965 Single European Act 1986 Maastricht Treaty Amsterdam Treaty Treaty of Nice 2001 Treaty of Lisbon 2007 Commissions Hallstein Commission 1958 Rey Commission 1967 Malfatti Commission 1970 Mansholt Commission 1972 Ortoli Commission 1973 Jenkins Commission 1977 Thorn Commission 1981 Delors Commission 1985 Santer Commission Prodi Commission 1999 Barroso Commission Juncker Commission 2014 Topics History of Europe History of the euro History of defence integration History of enlargement List of presidents List of founders European Union portal The euro came into existence on 1 January 1999, although it had been a goal of the European Union ( EU ) and its predecessors since the 1960s. After tough negotiations, particularly due to opposition from the United Kingdom, the Maastricht Treaty entered into force in 1993 with the goal of creating an economic and monetary union by 1999 for all EU states except the UK and Denmark ( even though Denmark has a fixed exchange rate policy with the euro ). In 1999 the currency was born virtually and in 2002 notes and coins began to circulate. It rapidly took over from the former national currencies and slowly expanded behind the rest of the EU. In 2009 the Lisbon Treaty finalised its political authority, the Eurogroup, alongside the European Central Bank. Contents 1 Development 1.1 Early ideas 1.2 Relaunch 1.3 Second stage 2 Creation 2.1 Launch 2.2 Minting 2.3 Change of currency 2.4 Aftermath 2.5 Early growth 2.6 Public support 3 Recession era 3.1 Lisbon Treaty 3.2 Early responses 3.3 Bailout funds 3.4 Fiscal Agreements 3.5 Enlargements 3.5. 1 Slovenia 3.5. 2 Cyprus 3.5. 3 Malta 3.5. 4 Slovakia 3.6 Baltic states 3.7 Public opinion 4 Overview of eurozone enlargements and exchange - rate regimes for EU members 5 Public support 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links Development Early ideas Pierre Werner 's report began the first moves towards monetary union First ideas of an economic and monetary union in Europe were raised well before establishing the European Communities. For example, already in the League of Nations, Gustav Stresemann asked in 1929 for a European currency against the background of an increased economic division due to a number of new nation states in Europe after World War I. At this time memories of the Latin Monetary Union involving principally France, Italy, Belgium and Switzerland and which, for practical purposes, had disintegrated following the First World War, figured prominently in the minds of policy makers. A first attempt to create an economic and monetary union between the members of the European Economic Community goes back to an initiative by the European Commission in 1969, which set out the need for `` greater co-ordination of economic policies and monetary cooperation. '' This was followed up at a meeting of the European Council at The Hague in December 1969. The European Council tasked Pierre Werner, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, with finding a way to reduce currency exchange rate volatility. His report was published in October 1970 and recommended centralisation of the national macroeconomic policies entailing `` the total and irreversible fixing of parity rates and the complete liberation of movements of capital. '' But he did not propose a single currency or central bank. An attempt to limit the fluctuations of European currencies, using a snake in the tunnel, failed. In 1971, US President Richard Nixon removed the gold backing from the US dollar, causing a collapse in the Bretton Woods system that managed to affect all of the world 's major currencies. The widespread currency floats and devaluations set back aspirations for European monetary union. However, in March 1979 the European Monetary System ( EMS ) was created, fixing exchange rates onto the European Currency Unit ( ECU ), an accounting currency, to stabilise exchange rates and counter inflation. It also created the European Monetary Cooperation Fund ( EMCF ). In February 1986 the Single European Act formalised political co-operation within the Community including competency in monetary policy. European Council summit in Hannover on 14 June 1988 began to outline monetary co-operation. France, Italy and European Commission backed a fully monetary union with a central bank, which British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher opposed. Relaunch President Delors ' three - point plan laid out the path to EMU The Hannover European Council asked Commission President Jacques Delors to chair an ad hoc committee of central bank governors to propose a new timetable with clear, practical and realistic steps for creating an economic and monetary union. This way of working was derived from the Spaak method. France and the UK were opposed to German reunification, and attempted to influence the Soviet Union to stop it. However, in late 1989 France extracted German commitment to the Monetary Union in return for support for German reunification. The Delors report of 1989 set out a plan to introduce the EMU in three stages and it included the creation of institutions such as the European System of Central Banks ( ESCB ), which would become responsible for formulating and implementing monetary policy. It laid out monetary union being accomplished in three steps. Beginning the first of these steps, on 1 July 1990, exchange controls were abolished, thus capital movements were completely liberalised in the European Economic Community. Leaders reached agreement on currency union with the Maastricht Treaty, signed on 7 February 1992. It agreed to create a single currency, although without the participation of the United Kingdom, by January 1999. Gaining approval for the treaty was a challenge. Germany was cautious about giving up its stable currency, i.e., the German Mark, France approved the treaty by a narrow margin and Denmark refused to ratify until they got an opt out from monetary union as the United Kingdom, an opt - out which they maintain as of 2011. On 16 September 1992, known in the UK as Black Wednesday, the British pound sterling was forced to withdraw from the fixed exchange rate system due to a rapid fall in the value of the pound. Second stage Wim Duisenberg was the first President of the European Central Bank Delors ' second stage began in 1994 with creation of the European Monetary Institute, succeeding the EMCF, under Maastricht. It was created as the forerunner to the European Central Bank. It met for the first time on 12 January under its first president, Alexandre Lamfalussy. After much disagreement, in December 1995 the name euro was adopted for the new currency ( replacing the name Ecu used for the previous accounting currency ), on the suggestion of then - German finance minister Theo Waigel. They also agreed on the date 1 January 1999 for its launch. On 17 June 1997 the European Council decided in Amsterdam to adopt the Stability and Growth Pact, designed to ensure budgetary discipline after creation of the euro, and a new exchange rate mechanism ( ERM II ) was set up to provide stability above the euro and the national currencies of countries that had n't yet entered the eurozone. Then, on 3 May 1998, at the European Council in Brussels, the 11 initial countries that would participate in the third stage from 1 January 1999 were selected. To participate in the new currency, member states had to meet strict criteria such as a budget deficit of less than 3 % of their GDP, a debt ratio of less than 60 % of GDP, low inflation, and interest rates close to the EU average. Greece failed to meet the criteria and was excluded from participating on 1 January 1999. On 1 June 1998 the European Central Bank succeeded the European Monetary Institute. However it would n't take on its full powers until the euro was created on 1 January 1999. The bank 's first President was Wim Duisenberg, former head of the EMI and the Dutch central bank. The conversion rates between the 11 participating national currencies and the euro were then established. The rates were determined by the Council of the European Union, based on a recommendation from the European Commission based on the market rates on 31 December 1998, so that one ECU would equal one euro. These rates were set by Council Regulation 2866 / 98 ( EC ), of 31 December 1998. They could not be set earlier, because the ECU depended on the closing exchange rate of the non-euro currencies ( principally the pound sterling ) that day. Due to differences in national conventions for rounding and significant digits, all conversion between the national currencies had to be carried out using the process of triangulation via the euro. Creation Launch Eurozone, 1999 -- 2002 The currency was introduced in non-physical form ( traveller 's cheques, electronic transfers, banking, etc. ) at midnight on 1 January 1999, when the national currencies of participating countries ( the eurozone ) ceased to exist independently in that their exchange rates were locked at fixed rates against each other, effectively making them mere non-decimal subdivisions of the euro. The euro thus became the successor to the European Currency Unit ( ECU ). The notes and coins for the old currencies, however, continued to be used as legal tender until new notes and coins were introduced on 1 January 2002 ( having been distributed in small amounts in the previous December ). Beginning on 1 January 1999, all bonds and other forms of government debt by eurozone nations were denominated in euros. The value of the euro, which started at USD 1.1686 on 31 December 1998, rose during its first day of trading, Monday, 4 January 1999, closing at approximately USD 1.18. It was rapidly taken up and dealers were surprised by the speed at which it replaced the national currencies. Trading in the Deutsche Mark was expected to continue in parallel but vanished as soon as the markets opened. However, by the end of 1999 the euro had dropped to parity with the dollar leading to emergency action from the G7 to support the euro in 2001. Later in 2000, Denmark held a referendum on whether to abandon their opt - out from the euro. The referendum resulted in a decision to retain the krone, and also set back plans for a referendum in the UK as a result. The procedure used to fix the irrevocable conversion rate of 340.750 between the Greek drachma and the euro was different, since the euro by then was already two years old. While the conversion rates for the initial eleven currencies were determined only hours before the euro was introduced as a virtual currency, the conversion rate for the Greek drachma was fixed several months beforehand, in Council Regulation 1478 / 2000 ( EC ), of 19 June 2000. Minting The designs for the new coins and notes were announced between 1996 and 1998, and production began at the various mints and printers on 11 May 1998. The task was large, and would require the full three years and a half. In all, 7.4 billion notes and 38.2 billion coins would be available for issuance to consumers and businesses on 1 January 2002. In 7 nations, the new coins, struck in the run - up to 1 January 2002, would bear a 2002 date. In Belgium, Finland, France, the Netherlands, and Spain, the new coins would bear the date of striking, so those 5 countries would be the only ones to strike euro coins dated 1999, 2000, and 2001. Small numbers of coins from Monaco, Vatican City, and San Marino were also struck. These immediately became popular collector 's items, commanding premiums well above face value. New issues continue to do so to this day. Euro pocket calculators were sold or offered in many countries. Meanwhile, a parallel task was to educate the European public about the new coins. Posters were issued showing the designs, which were used on items ranging from playing cards to T - shirts. As a final step, on 15 December 2001, banks began exchanging `` euro starter kits '', plastic pouches with a selection of the new coins in each country ( generally, between 10 and 20 euros worth -- though Finland 's contained one of each coin, totalling € 3.88 ). They would not be usable in commerce until 1 January, when notes would be made available as well. Larger starter kits, containing a roll of each denomination, were available as well in some nations. Retailers and government agencies had a considerable task as well. For items to be sold to the public, dual pricing was commonly utilised. Postage stamps for governments ( as well as stamps issued by the United Nations Postal Administration for the UN offices in Vienna ) often bore denominations both in the legacy currency and euros, assuring continued utility beyond 2001. Banks bore a huge task, not only in preparation for the change of the notes and coins, but also in the back office. Beginning in 1999, all deposits and loans were technically in euros, but deposits and withdrawals continued in the legacy currency. Statements would bear balances in both currencies beginning no later than 1 July 2001, and earlier if required by the customer 's needs. Beginning on 1 December 2001, coins and notes were distributed from secure storage, first to large retailers, and then to smaller ones. It was widely expected that there would be massive problems on and after 1 January. Such a changeover, across twelve populous countries, had never been attempted before. Change of currency Euro banknotes and coins of various denominations. The new coins and notes were first valid on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. The first official purchase using euro coins and notes took place there, for one kilogram of lychees. The coming of midnight in Frankfurt at the ECB offices, though, symbolised the transition. In Finland, the Central Bank had opened for an hour at midnight to allow citizens to exchange currency, while a huge euro pyramid had decorated Syntagma Square in Athens. Other countries noted the coming of the euro as well -- Paris 's Pont Neuf was decorated in EU colours, while in the northern German town of Gifhorn a sombre, symbolic funeral for the Deutsche Mark took place. Except for Germany, the plan for introduction of the new currency was basically the same. Banks would accept the exchange of legacy currencies, begin to dispense euros from ATMs, and only euros would be available as withdrawals were made, beginning on 1 January. Merchants would accept legacy currency, but give change only in euros. In Germany, the Deutsche Mark would no longer be a legal tender on 1 January, but would have to be exchanged at the banks. Despite the massive amounts of euros available, chaos was feared. In France, these fears were accentuated by a threatened postal workers ' strike. The strike, however, was settled. Similarly, workers at the French bank BNP Paribas threatened to disrupt the introduction of euro currency with a strike. That was also settled. Preceding national currencies of the Eurozone Currency Code ( ISO 4217 ) Rate Fixed on Yielded Austrian schilling ATS 7001137603000000000 ♠ 13.7603 1998 - 12 - 31 1999 - 01 - 01 Belgian franc BEF 7001403399000000000 ♠ 40.3399 1998 - 12 - 31 1999 - 01 - 01 Cypriot pound CYP 6999585274000000000 ♠ 0.585274 2007 - 07 - 10 2008 - 01 - 01 Dutch guilder NLG 7000220371000000000 ♠ 2.20371 1998 - 12 - 31 1999 - 01 - 01 Estonian kroon EEK 7001156466000000000 ♠ 15.6466 2010 - 07 - 13 2011 - 01 - 01 Finnish markka FIM 7000594573000000000 ♠ 5.94573 1998 - 12 - 31 1999 - 01 - 01 French franc FRF 7000655957000000000 ♠ 6.55957 1998 - 12 - 31 1999 - 01 - 01 German mark DEM 7000195583000000000 ♠ 1.95583 1998 - 12 - 31 1999 - 01 - 01 Greek drachma GRD 7002340750000000000 ♠ 340.75 2000 - 06 - 19 2001 - 01 - 01 Irish pound IEP 6999787564000000000 ♠ 0.787564 1998 - 12 - 31 1999 - 01 - 01 Italian lira ITL 7003193627000000000 ♠ 1,936.27 1998 - 12 - 31 1999 - 01 - 01 Latvian lats LVL 6999702804000000000 ♠ 0.702804 2013 - 07 - 09 2014 - 01 - 01 Lithuanian litas LTL 7000345280000000000 ♠ 3.4528 2014 - 07 - 23 2015 - 01 - 01 Luxembourgish franc LUF 7001403399000000000 ♠ 40.3399 1998 - 12 - 31 1999 - 01 - 01 Maltese lira MTL 6999429300000000000 ♠ 0.4293 2007 - 07 - 10 2008 - 01 - 01 Monégasque franc MCF 7000655957000000000 ♠ 6.55957 1998 - 12 - 31 1999 - 01 - 01 Portuguese escudo PTE 7002200482000000000 ♠ 200.482 1998 - 12 - 31 1999 - 01 - 01 Sammarinese lira SML 7003193627000000000 ♠ 1,936.27 1998 - 12 - 31 1999 - 01 - 01 Slovak koruna SKK 7001301260000000000 ♠ 30.126 2008 - 07 - 08 2009 - 01 - 01 Slovenian tolar SIT 7002239640000000000 ♠ 239.64 2006 - 07 - 11 2007 - 01 - 01 Spanish peseta ESP 7002166386000000000 ♠ 166.386 1998 - 12 - 31 1999 - 01 - 01 Vatican lira VAL 7003193627000000000 ♠ 1,936.27 1998 - 12 - 31 1999 - 01 - 01 In practice, the roll - out was smooth, with few problems. By 2 January, all ATMs in 7 countries and at least 90 percent in 4 others were issuing euros rather than legacy currency, with Italy, the worst offender, having only 85 % of ATMs dispensing euros. The unexpected tendency of consumers to spend their legacy currency, rather than exchange it at banks, led to temporary shortages of euro small change, with some consumers being given change in legacy currency. Some businesses did take advantage of the currency exchange to raise prices. According to a study by the Deutsche Bundesbank, there was a price rise, but consumers refused to buy as much. A coffee bar in Italy that took advantage of the transition to raise coffee prices by a third was ordered to pay compensation to customers. Aftermath Nations were allowed to keep legacy currency in circulation as legal tender for two months, until 28 February 2002. The official date on which the national currencies ceased to be legal tender varied from member state to member state. The earliest date was in Germany ; the Mark officially ceased to be legal tender after 31 December 2001. Most member states, though, permitted their legacy currency to remain in circulation the full two months. The legacy currency was exchangeable at commercial banks in the currency 's nation for a further period, generally until 30 June 2002. However, even after the official dates, they continued to be accepted for exchange by national central banks for varying periods -- and indefinitely in Austria, Germany, Ireland, and Spain. Coins from those four countries, Italy, and Finland remain exchangeable. The earliest coins to become non-convertible were the Portuguese escudos, which ceased to have monetary value after 31 December 2002, although banknotes remain exchangeable until 2022. All banknotes current on 1 January 2002 would remain valid until at least 2012. In Germany, Deutsche Telekom modified 50,000 pay phones to take Deutsche Mark coins in 2005, at least on a temporary basis. Callers were allowed to use DM coins, at least initially, with the Mark pegged to equal one euro, almost twice the usual rate. In France, receipts still indicate the value of products in the legacy currency along with the euro value, as do receipts in Slovenia. In other eurozone countries this has long been considered unnecessary. In June 2008, The New York Times reported that many merchants in the French town of Collobrières, in Provence, choose to accept exchangeable franc notes. Euro usage in the world ( blue and purple, click for detail ). Early growth Further information : International status and usage of the euro After dropping to an interday low of $0.8296 on 26 October 2001, and a brief crash to $0.8115 on 15 January 2002, the euro soon recovered from its early slump. Its value last closed below $1.00 on 6 November 2002 ( $0.9971 ), and increased rapidly from there. It peaked at $1.35 in 2004, and reached its highest value versus the U.S. dollar at $1.5916 on 14 July 2008. As its values increased against the pound sterling in the late - 2000s, peaking at 97.73 p on 31 December 2008, its international usage grew rapidly. The euro grew in importance steadily, with its share of foreign exchange reserves rising from nearly 18 % in 1999 to 25 % in 2003 - while the dollar share fell by an equivalent margin. Alan Greenspan in 2007 said the eurozone had profited from the euro 's rise and claimed it was perfectly conceivable that it could trade equally or become more important than the US dollar in the future. Public support Public support for the euro in each state between 2001 to 2006 Recession era The Lisbon Treaty formalised Jean - Claude Juncker 's post as President of the Eurogroup As a result of the global financial crisis that began in 2007 / 2008, the eurozone entered its first official recession in the third quarter of 2008, official figures confirmed in January 2009. The EU was in negative growth for the second, third and fourth quarters of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009 before returning to positive growth ( for the eurozone as a whole ). Despite the recession, Estonia acceded to the eurozone and Iceland put in an EU application to join the euro, seeing it at the time as a safe haven. Lisbon treaty In 2009, the Lisbon Treaty formalised the Eurogroup, the meeting of euro finance ministers, with an official president. Jean - Claude Juncker served as president before and after formalisation and has been an advocate of strengthening the group, economic co-operation and common representation. Appetite for stronger economic co-operation grew due to the recession and the potential failure of some weaker eurozone members. However Germany had opposed previous moves to strengthen the Eurogroup, such as French President Nicolas Sarkozy 's attempts at Eurogroup summits, due to fears of undermining the ECB 's independence. Jean - Claude Trichet, who succeeded Duisenberg as ECB president in 2003, fended off numerous attacks from Sarkozy at the start of the recession. Before that formalisation of the Eurogroup, eurozone leaders held an extraordinary summit in reaction to the financial crisis on 11 October 2008 in Paris. Rather than the Eurogroup meeting as finance ministers, they met as head of states or government ( similar to the European Council ) to define a joint action plan for the eurozone and the European Central Bank to stabilise the European economy. These such meetings would be where many euro governance reforms would be agreed. Early responses The leaders hammered out a plan to confront the financial crisis which will involve hundreds of billions of euros of new initiatives to head off a feared meltdown. They agreed a bank rescue plan : governments would buy into banks to boost their finances and guarantee interbank lending. Coordination against the crisis is considered vital to prevent the actions of one country harming another and exacerbating the bank solvency and credit shortage problems. Despite initial fears by speculators in early 2009 that the stress of such a large recession could lead to the break - up of the eurozone, the euro 's position actually strengthened as the year progressed. Far from the poorer performing economies moving further away and becoming a default risk, bond yield spreads between Germany and the weakest economies decreased easing the strain on these economies. Much of the credit for the turn around in fortunes has been attributed to the ECB, which injected € 500bn into the banks in June. Indeed, the euro came to be seen as a safe haven, as countries outside it such as Iceland fared worse than those with the euro. Iceland subsequently applied to the EU to get the benefit of using a larger currency with the support of the ECB. Bailout funds However, with the risk of a default in Greece and other members in late 2009 -- 10, eurozone leaders agreed to agree provisions for bailing out member states who could not raise funds ( triggered for Greece in April 2010 ). This was a u-turn on the EU treaties which rule out any bail out of a euro member to encourage them to manage their finances better. Yet with Greece struggling to restore its finances, other member states also at risk and the repercussions this would have on the rest of the eurozone economy ; a temporary bail out mechanism was agreed and devised in the form of a special purpose vehicle ( SPV ) named `` European Financial Stability Facility '' ( complemented by the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism and funds form the International Monetary Fund ), aiming at preserving financial stability in Europe by providing financial assistance to eurozone states in difficulty. The crisis also spurred consensus for further economic integration and a range of proposals such as a `` European Monetary Fund '' or federal treasury. However, in June 2010, broad agreement was finally reached on a controversial proposal for member states to peer review each other 's budgets prior to their presentation to national parliaments. Although showing the entire budget to each other was opposed by Germany, Sweden and the UK, each government would present to their peers and the Commission their estimates for growth, inflation, revenue and expenditure levels six months before they go to national parliaments. If a country was to run a deficit, they would have to justify it to the rest of the EU while countries with a debt more than 60 % of GDP would face greater scrutiny. The plans would apply to all EU members, not just the eurozone, and have to be approved by EU leaders along with proposals for states to face sanctions before they reach the 3 % limit in the Stability and Growth Pact. Poland has criticised the idea of withholding regional funding for those who break the deficit limits, as that would only impact the poorer states. In June 2010 France agreed to back Germany 's plan for suspending the voting rights of members who breach the rules. In late 2010 / early 2011 it was agreed to replace the European Financial Stability Facility and European Financial Stability Mechanism with a larger and permanent European Stability Mechanism ( ESM ). The ESM required a treaty amendment to allow it and a separate treaty to establish it but, if ratified successfully, would be established in time to take over when the old facilities expire in 2013. Meanwhile, to support Italy and prevent it having to ask for a bail - out later, the ECB controversially started buying Italian bonds, as it had done with Greece. Fiscal agreements In March 2011 was initiated a new reform of the Stability and Growth Pact aiming at straightening the rules by adopting an automatic procedure for imposing of penalties in case of breaches of either the deficit or the debt rules. The Euro Plus Pact sets out a wide range of reforms to take place in the eurozone to ensure and the French and German governments further agreed to push for a ' true economic government ' that would involve twice - yearly eurozone leader summits and a financial transactions tax. The European Fiscal Union is a proposal for a treaty about fiscal integration described in a decision adopted on 9 December 2011 by the European Council. The participants are the eurozone member states and all other EU members without the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic. The treaty entered into force on 1 January 2013 for the 16 states which completed ratification prior of this date and on 1 April 2014 entered into force for all 25 signatories. Enlargements Eurozone participation European Union ( EU ) member states 19 in the eurozone. 7 not in ERM II, but obliged to join the eurozone on meeting convergence criteria ( Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Sweden ). 1 in ERM II, with an opt - out ( Denmark ). 1 not in ERM II with an opt - out ( United Kingdom ). Non-EU member states 4 using the euro with a monetary agreement ( Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City ). 2 using the euro unilaterally ( Kosovo and Montenegro ). Despite speculation that the crisis in Greece could spread and that the euro might fail, some newer EU states from the 2004 enlargement joined the currency during the recession. Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus all acceded within the first two years of the recession, closely followed by Slovakia in 2009. The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined in 2011, 2014 and 2015 respectively. Slovenia Slovenia was the first country to join the eurozone after the launch of the coins and banknotes. Participation in ERM II began on 28 June 2004 and on 11 July 2006 the Council of EU adopted a decision allowing Slovenia to join the euro area as from 1 January 2007. The euro replaced the Slovenian tolar on 1 January 2007. The exchange rate between the euro and tolar had been set on 11 July 2006 at 239.640 SIT, but unlike the previous launches, cash and non-cash transactions were introduced simultaneously. Cyprus Cyprus replaced the Cypriot pound with the euro on 1 January 2008. A formal letter of application to join the eurozone was submitted on 13 February 2007. On 16 May 2007 the European Commission, backed by the European Central Bank, gave its go - ahead for the introduction in January 2008. The campaign to inform the citizens of Cyprus about the euro officially began in Cypriot media on 9 March 2007. On 15 March 2007, the Cypriot House of Representatives passed the necessary laws for the introduction of the euro on 1 January 2008. The European Commissioner for Economic & Financial Affairs Joaquín Almunia, on 16 May 2007, recommended that Cyprus adopt the euro as scheduled and the European Parliament concurred on 21 June 2007, the date was confirmed by the EU leaders. The final decision was taken by the EU finance ministers ( Ecofin ) on 10 July 2007 and the conversion rate was fixed at 0.585274 CYP. On 23 October 2007, the coin designs were officially published in the Official Journal of the European Union. On 1 January 2008 the euro replaced the Cypriot pound as the official currency. The euro is only used in the government - controlled areas of the Republic, the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia ( under UK jurisdiction, outside the EU ) and in the United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus. The de facto Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus continues to use the new Turkish lira as its primary currency and the euro as its secondary currency. Malta Valletta covered with floor designs of their new euro coins Malta replaced the Maltese lira with the euro on 1 January 2008. The aims were officially confirmed on 26 February 2007. On 16 May 2007, the Commissioner for Economic & Financial Affairs of the EU, Joaquín Almunia, recommended that Malta adopt the euro as scheduled, a decision later confirmed by the Council of Finance Ministers of 10 July 2007. On the same day, dual displaying became mandatory and the first Maltese euro coins were struck at Monnaie de Paris. The first Maltese euro coins were available for the public on 1 December 2007, as business starter packs worth € 131 each started being available for small businesses to fill up their cash registers with sufficient amount of euro coins before the € - day ( Jum € ). Mini-kits each worth € 11.65 were available for the general public on 10 December 2007. Maltese coins which were current at the time of the euro transition may be exchanged through 1 February 2010. Maltese citizens could obtain euro information directly from their town or village between December 2007 and January 2008. From the Euro Centres ( Ċentru l - ewro ) which opened during the day. People trained specifically on matters related to the changeover to the euro were available to provide council at euro centres along with information materials. In December 2007, as part of the euro changeover celebrations, streets of Valletta were covered with carpets depicting euro coins. Celebrations reached climax on New Year 's Eve with a firework display near the Grand Harbour area, several other activities had to be moved indoors because of the stormy weather that struck the island on that night. Slovakia Slovak euro coins starting set Slovakia adopted the euro on 1 January 2009. The koruna was part of ERM II from 28 November 2005, requiring that it trade within 15 % of an agreed central rate ; this rate was changed on 17 March 2007 and again on 28 May 2008. The rate of 30.126 SKK from May 2008 was finally confirmed on 8 July 2008. To assist the process of conversion to the euro, on 1 April 2008, the National Bank of Slovakia ( NBS ) announced their plan for withdrawal of the Slovak koruna notes and coins. A few days later, on 5 April 2008, Slovakia officially applied to enter the eurozone. On 7 May 2008, the European Commission approved the application and asked member states to endorse the bid during the EU finance ministers ' meeting in July 2008. Slovakia fulfilled the euro convergence criteria. At 2.2 %, Slovakia 's twelve - month inflation was well below the 3.2 % threshold. However, for March 2008 annual inflation was 3.6 %. Fiscal deficit was 2.2 % versus the reference value of 3.0 %. And finally, the government debt ratio was 29.4 % of GDP in 2007, well below the maximum ratio of 60.0 %. Public opinion supported the switch, with 58 % in favour and 35 % opposed, but 65 % worried about the inflationary impacts of the adoption. Three months after the adoption of the currency 83 percent of Slovaks consider Slovakia 's decision to adopt the euro to have been right. Publicity for the transition from the koruna to the euro on 1 January 2009 included an `` euromobile '', with a professional actor driving around the countryside holding impromptu quiz shows about the euro. Winners received euro T - shirts, euro conversion calculators, and chocolate euro coins. Euro starter kits, available for 500 koruna, were a popular Christmas gift in 2008. The coins therein, however, were not valid as legal tender in the eurozone until 1 January 2009, with koruna exchanged through 17 January 2009, though redeemable at the central bank in Bratislava until a date to be determined. Anyone using Slovakian euro coins before 1 January could have been fined. Businesses using the transition to raise prices also were subject to penalty. Baltic states In 2010 Estonia gained the support of the European Commission, Central Bank and Parliament for accession on 1 January 2011 with Estonia adopting the currency on that date. In 2013 Latvia gained the support of the European Commission, Central Bank and Parliament for accession on 1 January 2014 with Latvia adopting the currency on that date. On 23 July 2014 Lithuania became the last Baltic state to gain permission to join the euro, which was adopted on 1 January 2015. Public opinion Public support for the euro in each state from the start of the financial crisis in 2007 to Lithuania 's accession in 2015 Overview of eurozone enlargements and exchange - rate regimes for EU members The chart below provides a full summary of all applying exchange - rate regimes for EU members, since the European Monetary System with its Exchange Rate Mechanism and the related new common currency ECU was born on 13 March 1979. The euro replaced the ECU 1 : 1 at the exchange rate markets, on 1 January 1999. During 1979 - 1999, the D - Mark functioned as a de facto anchor for the ECU, meaning there was only a minor difference between pegging a currency against ECU and pegging it against the D - mark. Sources : EC convergence reports 1996 - 2014, Italian lira, Spanish peseta, Portuguese escudo, Finish markka, Greek drachma, UK pound The eurozone was born with its first 11 Member States on 1 January 1999. The first enlargement of the eurozone, to Greece, took place on 1 January 2001, one year before the euro had physically entered into circulation. The next enlargements were to states which joined the EU in 2004, and then joined the eurozone on 1 January in the mentioned year : Slovenia ( 2007 ), Cyprus ( 2008 ), Malta ( 2008 ), Slovakia ( 2009 ), Estonia ( 2011 ), Latvia ( 2014 ), and Lithuania ( 2015 ). All new EU members having joined the bloc after the signing of the Maastricht treaty in 1992, are obliged to adopt the euro under the terms of their accession treaties. However, the last of the five economic convergence criteria which needs first to be complied with in order to qualify for euro adoption, is the exchange rate stability criterion, which requires having been an ERM - member for a minimum of two years without the presence of `` severe tensions '' for the currency exchange rate. In September 2011, a diplomatic source close to the euro adoption preparation talks between the seven remaining new Member States from Eastern Europe who had yet to adopt the euro ( Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania ), claimed that the monetary union ( eurozone ) they had thought they were going to join upon their signing of the accession treaty may very well end up being a very different union entailing much closer fiscal, economic and political convergence. This changed legal status of the eurozone could potentially cause them to conclude that the conditions for their promise to join were no longer valid, which `` could force them to stage new referendums '' on euro adoption. Public support The following lists the percentage of respondents supporting the euro in each country, according to the Standard Eurobarometer. The date reflects the month the field work was conducted in. Member State or Candidate Joined Eurozone 55 - April 2001 56 - October 2001 57 - March 2002 58 - October 2002 59 - March 2003 60 - October 2003 61 - February 2004 62 - October 2004 63 - May 2005 64 - October 2005 65 - March 2006 66 - September 2006 67 - April 2007 68 - September 2007 69 - March 2008 70 - October 2008 71 - June 2009 72 - October 2009 73 - May 2010 74 - November 2010 75 - May 2011 76 - November 2011 77 - May 2012 78 - November 2012 79 - May 2013 80 - November 2013 81 - May 2014 82 - November 2014 83 - May 2015 84 - November 2015 85 - May 2016 86 - November 2016 87 - May 2017 88 - November 2017 Austria 1999 59 68 72 75 72 67 68 73 65 67 60 67 67 68 66 74 71 71 64 68 63 58 65 66 65 65 67 69 63 62 69 62 68 69 Belgium 1999 75 72 82 81 85 81 83 89 84 83 82 85 84 82 84 82 83 78 78 79 82 80 75 69 76 74 78 76 75 79 77 76 78 81 Bulgaria n / a 74 67 63 65 62 66 64 57 68 61 60 59 55 54 57 50 54 46 44 51 41 45 43 37 42 38 39 39 Croatia n / a 63 59 61 59 63 68 66 65 63 59 67 67 64 63 62 52 61 57 53 56 56 56 54 52 51 43 Cyprus 2008 65 59 53 46 46 43 50 46 58 58 67 63 57 63 55 55 52 48 47 44 53 51 44 49 53 52 60 67 Czech Republic n / a 56 60 63 60 57 60 60 53 53 53 51 55 36 41 28 22 24 22 25 26 24 25 22 20 21 25 20 22 Denmark n / a 40 47 52 55 53 52 50 50 50 50 50 53 54 52 51 51 53 53 42 43 41 29 28 30 32 33 29 34 31 30 29 30 29 31 Estonia 2011 46 55 59 53 48 49 54 54 56 58 31 63 57 63 71 64 71 69 73 76 80 83 83 82 78 81 83 84 Finland 1999 67 63 64 66 75 70 73 79 77 79 75 78 81 77 80 82 83 81 77 64 77 71 74 76 75 75 76 75 78 74 76 78 77 75 France 1999 49 63 67 71 75 68 68 78 76 78 70 76 72 74 71 73 73 69 65 69 69 63 69 69 62 63 68 67 68 67 70 68 72 71 Germany 1999 53 60 67 62 70 60 58 69 59 66 63 66 72 69 69 71 69 66 62 67 63 66 65 69 66 71 75 74 76 73 73 81 83 81 Greece 2001 72 79 80 71 70 64 64 62 49 46 51 49 47 51 51 58 62 63 64 64 60 75 75 65 60 62 69 63 69 70 62 68 64 66 Hungary n / a 63 60 64 64 66 61 67 65 63 63 63 66 67 71 61 54 47 50 50 55 53 54 55 49 51 52 52 57 Ireland 1999 72 73 78 80 76 79 83 85 86 87 85 87 88 87 87 87 86 86 84 80 78 78 79 67 69 70 75 76 79 76 80 85 83 84 Italy 1999 83 79 87 76 82 70 69 62 67 64 66 64 67 63 58 61 61 63 64 68 67 57 53 57 59 53 54 54 59 55 54 53 58 59 Latvia 2014 55 59 57 55 46 53 47 48 54 47 48 53 55 52 53 42 39 35 43 53 68 74 78 72 78 78 78 76 Lithuania 2015 63 69 60 54 46 55 54 48 57 48 52 52 50 51 48 46 42 43 40 40 50 63 73 67 65 67 65 68 Luxembourg 1999 81 84 91 89 88 83 88 85 87 89 81 84 81 85 82 83 86 80 79 86 80 80 78 72 77 79 78 80 80 80 82 87 85 77 Malta 2008 46 46 50 50 47 55 64 63 72 63 68 66 66 67 68 61 63 64 68 69 73 77 78 74 75 77 77 77 Netherlands 1999 66 71 75 67 67 62 58 72 71 71 70 73 77 81 80 83 81 81 71 76 74 71 73 75 68 71 76 76 75 75 77 77 79 78 Poland n / a 59 65 56 50 54 52 54 49 49 44 47 46 43 47 38 38 35 36 29 35 37 40 32 34 35 34 32 36 Portugal 1999 59 67 73 70 75 69 67 67 65 67 57 63 64 60 54 53 54 61 53 56 49 54 58 55 52 50 59 58 62 67 69 74 74 77 Romania n / a 74 71 74 66 65 70 73 71 72 71 72 71 64 64 65 61 60 56 56 58 63 65 64 63 57 55 60 57 Slovakia 2009 68 69 72 60 63 65 69 63 66 76 89 86 87 89 82 78 80 72 77 78 74 79 81 78 78 81 80 80 Slovenia 2007 85 87 83 77 82 83 91 86 90 90 86 88 82 83 81 81 80 83 77 78 79 75 78 77 80 85 83 85 Spain 1999 68 73 80 77 75 70 74 69 58 61 60 64 68 68 67 67 66 62 64 62 62 63 55 63 52 56 60 65 61 67 68 71 75 82 Sweden n / a 29 51 49 51 41 41 45 46 48 44 50 51 45 45 48 48 51 52 34 37 34 23 27 23 19 23 19 23 25 23 25 27 25 25 United Kingdom n / a 25 27 31 28 24 23 26 31 28 28 28 29 29 24 26 28 27 28 19 17 21 15 15 14 15 19 16 20 20 20 17 24 23 30 EU AVERAGE n / a 59 61 67 63 66 59 60 63 59 60 59 60 63 61 60 61 61 60 56 58 56 53 52 53 51 52 55 56 57 56 55 58 60 61 See also European Unit of Account Gold parity unit of account Notes Jump up ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. 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University of Iowa Center for International Finance and Development Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union on CVCE website Euro topics General Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union Euro sign Eurozone Linguistic issues Administration European Central Bank ECB President European System of Central Banks Eurosystem Ecofin Eurogroup Euro summit Fiscal provisions Stability and Growth Pact European Financial Stability Facility European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism European Stability Mechanism Euro Plus Pact Six pack European Fiscal Compact History `` Snake in the tunnel '' European Monetary System I ECU II ERM III EMU European Monetary Cooperation Fund European Monetary Institute Enlargement Black Wednesday Economy Economy of Europe Economy of the European Union Eonia Euro calculator Euro Interbank Offered Rate ( Euribor ) Single Euro Payments Area ( SEPA ) International status Proposed eurobonds Reserve currency Petroeuro World currency Denominations coins 1c 2c 5c 10c 20c 50c € 1 € 2 € 2 commemorative coins Other commemorative coins Identifying marks Starter kits Europa coin programme Euro mint banknotes € 5 € 10 € 20 € 50 € 100 € 200 € 500 Coins by issuing country EU Austria Belgium Cyprus Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Portugal Slovakia Slovenia Spain Non-EU Andorra Monaco San Marino Vatican Potential adoption by other countries EU Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Hungary Poland Romania Sweden Non-EU Kosovo Montenegro Currencies yielded European Currency Unit Austrian schilling Belgian franc Cypriot pound Dutch guilder Estonian kroon Finnish markka French franc German mark Greek drachma Irish pound Italian lira Latvian lats Lithuanian litas Luxembourgish franc Maltese lira Monégasque franc Portuguese escudo Sammarinese lira Slovak koruna Slovenian tolar Spanish peseta Vatican lira Currencies remaining ERM II Danish krone other ( EU ) British pound sterling ( incl. 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Question: when did the euro became the european currency
Answer: 1 January 1999