WRITTEN QUESTION E-2186/00 by Diana Wallis (ELDR) to the Commission. Introduction of the euro.
Date: 2000-07-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: euro, public awareness campaign, single monetary policy

C 89 E/158

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.3.2001

The policy review exercise also provides an opportunity for the Commission to reflect on the appropriate
level of regulation required in the context of new forms of economic activity (e-commerce etc.), the
possibilities offered by co-regulation and how best to ensure that national legislation does not generate
additional burdens for business.

Current preparations are focused in particular on devising ways of ensuring that new Community
legislation is carefully prepared and to that end the Commission is examining the potential offered by
new impact assessment methods and possibilities to extend the range and depth of consultations when
legislative drafts are under preparation.

The Commission is going to contribute to the initiative taken by the French Presidency to discuss the
quality of national and Community legislation at a meeting of the ministers in charge of the functioning of
public administration.

(2001/C 89 E/177)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2186/00

by Diana Wallis (ELDR) to the Commission

(3 July 2000)

Subject: Introduction of the euro

What has the Commission done to ensure that preparations for the euro are both complete and thorough?
Does it feel that it has been allocated sufficient financial and human resources to carry out this task? Are
the actions of each Member State(cid:146)s government being monitored?

Can the Commission confirm that arrangements have been made which will allow national governments (cid:129)
who are mainly responsible (cid:129) to provide immediate responses to possible practical questions?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(22 September 2000)

Preparations for the euro in the Member States are monitored by the Commission in two ways. First, it
organises forums enabling discussion and the exchange of information between Member States and
professional organisations. These include (cid:145)public administration(cid:146) networks (grouping the heads of the
euro task forces in the Member States),
(cid:145)director of communication(cid:146) networks (grouping the national
directors responsible for communication on the euro) and the advisory group on practical aspects of the
transition to the euro (comprising representatives of some twenty European professional federations). The
Commission also sits on and services the working party of the directors of the national mints and
organises regular meetings of more specialist groups (for example, the euro group of the European
Consumers Committee, the Trade and Distribution Committee). Second,
it regularly publishes studies
monitoring the progress of preparations. These include the Quarterly note on the development of the use
of the euro, the section of the Eurobarometer opinion poll on attitude to the introduction of the euro and
the flash survey on preparations by small and medium-sized undertakings (SMEs).

The Directorates-General for Financial and Economic Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection, Enterprise
and the Internal Market are working on these issues.

All the participating Member States have set up structures to coordinate the transition to the euro and to
answer questions put by the general public.