EURO 20 years

[Eliezer]

Happy 20th anniversary, the Euro!

The Euro became the official currency of the first 11 EuroZone countries (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain) on 1st of January, 1999, although the Euro notes and coins were not yet taken into use until three years later.

Personally I remember throwing a Finnish mark out of the door at midnight symbolizing the transition to the new currency. I opened my first Euro bank account in January 1999 and began to get the feeling of the new currency as I saw how low my salary was when expressed as Euros.

Anyone else wishing to share memories of the Euro before there was Euro cash available (for entering into EBT, as it is the main reason for having the Euro cash, isn't it )?

[Kleman]

Amazing !
20 years !!
I was only 15
And I remember my first euro withdrawal in 2002, it was in La Poste in Talence (France) (of course not with a CB)

[tralla]

I started my own little company in mid 1998 and decided to do my accounting in Euros. Converting back and forth from D-Mark wasn't hard but I had a *lot* of explaining to do. Even with my bank.
It was a lot of fun.
- tralla

[ART]

Happy anniversary!

I remember I was very happy, even if the change could not be seen physically. But many people have not even noticed it... and even today they believe that euro was born in 2002...