Description:
History was made on 1 January 1999 when 11 European Union countries created a monetary union with a single currency, the euro. Euro banknotes and coins entered circulation on 1 January 2002. But the history of Europe's common currency has been a long time in the making and can be charted back to the origins of the European Union itself. More than 60 years after the Treaty of Rome laid the foundations of today's EU, the euro is the most visible symbol of European integration and an integral part of its vision for the future. This booklet describes the euro's journey to date and its position in the world today.