The scale of the task is underlined by the fact that the euro coins being issued will in total weigh some 250,000 tonnes - enough to fill 15,000 fully loaded trucks. Strangely enough, the European Central Bank's official website preserves a discreet silence over the British involvement in the production of the euro coins. A helpful map illustrates where the euro notes were printed, but no details are available on the mint's involvement. There will be a brief changeover period when both national currencies and euros will be legal tender, and thenfrancs, marks and all the other familiar notes and coins will disappear at the end of next February. Several countries are aiming to effect the changeover even more quickly.
Many small firms appear to be leaving it to the last minute to convert their systems to euros.
Half reported that they would not be ready until 2002. The European commission fears a surge in demand for accountants and IT specialists to help the changeover could cause bottlenecks, making some firms miss the deadline. The prospect of paychecks failing to make it into bank accounts is not a happy one, on top of the disruption the new currency is already likely to cause. Big queues at banks, railway stations and shops are expected as customers and firms struggle with the unfamiliar currency. A simulation by the Dutch national railways suggested the situation on January 1 could be outright chaos, with queues of more than 1,000 at main terminals.