EU and the Euro

With its new additions, the European Union
now has 25 member countries.

Interestingly, 12 use the Euro as currency
but 13 do NOT use the Euro.

Blair

It's too early... they just joined. There are currency-stability issues to
be met before switching to the euro.

Tony

"Blair (TC)" wrote in message
...

With its new additions, the European Union
now has 25 member countries.

Interestingly, 12 use the Euro as currency
but 13 do NOT use the Euro.

Blair

"J. A. Mc." skrev i en meddelelse
...
On Sat, 08 May 2004 03:40:15 GMT, "Blair (TC)"
found
these unused words floating about:


With its new additions, the European Union
now has 25 member countries.

Interestingly, 12 use the Euro as currency
but 13 do NOT use the Euro.

Blair

Three of the 'original' countries have voted not to use the ?. The new(er)
countries have to meet certain standards of monetary policy and then there
would be a transition period before the ? replaces the national currency.

Denmark, Sweden, and England have voted not to use the Euro. And it so
happens that Germany and France who are among the most persistant for the
Euro, have not been able to meet the standards of monetary policy set by
themselves, for the last 2 or 3 years. The whispers go that if (some of)
the countries using the Euro were asked to vote, they would vote against it.
It will still be a long time, before Europe is "united". Consumer prices
have skyrocketed in the countries who have adapted the Euro. Maybe this
currency has been introduced a little bit too early.
--
Ann Mette Heindorff (Mette)
return address invalid -- contact me through
heindorffstamps at yahoo dot dk
http://www.arthistos.frac.dk
http://www.xs4all.nl/~pkv/slania
http://www.dkchristmasseals.frac.dk

"Mette" wrote in message
...
"J. A. Mc." skrev i en meddelelse
...
On Sat, 08 May 2004 03:40:15 GMT, "Blair (TC)"
found
these unused words floating about:


With its new additions, the European Union
now has 25 member countries.

Interestingly, 12 use the Euro as currency
but 13 do NOT use the Euro.

Blair

Three of the 'original' countries have voted not to use the ?. The
new(er)
countries have to meet certain standards of monetary policy and then
there
would be a transition period before the ? replaces the national
currency.

Denmark, Sweden, and England have voted not to use the Euro. And it so
happens that Germany and France who are among the most persistant for the
Euro, have not been able to meet the standards of monetary policy set by
themselves, for the last 2 or 3 years. The whispers go that if (some of)
the countries using the Euro were asked to vote, they would vote against
it.
It will still be a long time, before Europe is "united". Consumer prices
have skyrocketed in the countries who have adapted the Euro. Maybe this
currency has been introduced a little bit too early.
--

Mette, I am sorry to see that you ahve adopted one of those silly US
expressions: skyrocketed. How much dd prices go up? My definitionof
skyrocketed would mean going up fivefold or more, and I know that is not
the case.

Tony




Ann Mette Heindorff (Mette)
return address invalid -- contact me through
heindorffstamps at yahoo dot dk
http://www.arthistos.frac.dk
http://www.xs4all.nl/~pkv/slania
http://www.dkchristmasseals.frac.dk

"A.E. Gelat" skrev i en meddelelse
...

- snip -

Mette, I am sorry to see that you ahve adopted one of those silly US
expressions: skyrocketed. How much dd prices go up? My definitionof
skyrocketed would mean going up fivefold or more, and I know that is not
the case.

Tony, I am sorry that you are sorry for my choice of wording. Whichever
perception of skyrocketing is "correct" (yours or mine), it is a fact that
consumer prices have raised considerably in the countries where the Euro has
been adopted, and that some of these countries currently are in a
depression-like state.
--
Ann Mette Heindorff (Mette)
return address invalid -- contact me through
heindorffstamps at yahoo dot dk
http://www.arthistos.frac.dk
http://www.xs4all.nl/~pkv/slania
http://www.dkchristmasseals.frac.dk

"Frank Daems" wrote in message
...
... and one or more of the 3 countries, that have not initially converted
to
the euro, still are - as before - very expensive countries. Ever wanted to
go on holiday into the UK with their high exchange rate for the GBP and
the
"impossible" prices you need to pay for things in London?

Yes, indeed, prices have gone up ... they have done so also prior to the
introduction of the euro. I think this is a bit too easy an excuse for not
implementing the euro. Maybe the only "bad" thing was, that all prices
have
gone up at about the same time (switchover to euro), whereas this usually
happens on various moments in time during the year.

I can assure you that it's fantastic not having to bother anymore about
exchange rate losses (the consumer always looses on those) when visiting
various euro zone countries, or go on holiday to Spain or Italy and
continue
to use the same currency as one does at home. Furthermore, thanks to
unified
currency it now is very easy to see which are the more expensive
countries.

BTW, not to mention the fact that the euro currently has a very strong
position against the USD. Holidays (from Belgium) to the US never have
been
so high in number as recently ... it currently is extremely cheap over
there
for residents of euro countries.

If there were to be a referendum in Belgium (impossible, by the way, as
our
politicians don't like/want it), I would definitely vote in favour of the
euro (but I'm used to using it for some time now ...).

Regards

Frank Daems
Belgium

Anytime you want to visit Frank, please don't hesitate. Drop by my
house and we'll talk stamps, have tea/coffee/beer, I show you about, feed
you good and you'll save money. Can't underestimate that a great friendship
may result as well.
Dave

On Sun, 09 May 2004 13:11:27 GMT, "Dave"
wrote:

snip

Anytime you want to visit Frank, please don't hesitate. Drop by my
house and we'll talk stamps, have tea/coffee/beer, I show you about, feed
you good and you'll save money. Can't underestimate that a great friendship
may result as well.

This is one thing that rises above the EU and the Euro. Friendship.
As mentioned in the past, being on vacation has allowed me to see
other stamp collectors with whom I've only corresponded with through
the 'Net. Keep on truckin'...

Tracy Barber