Euro, the official currency of 18 members of European Union, is constantly at the center of the public debate since it has been adopted the 1st January 2002.


Especially in the last years, a large part of the public opinion has pointed Euro as the source of all the problems and weaknesses of the European economy.The question at the base of every discussion about Euro is apparently very simple: is Euro an advantage or a load for European Countries? 

Everyone can answer to this question in a very different way and from different points of view. But there is another question, important as well, not everybody can answer to: why has Euro been adopted?

On the website of the European Commission some benefits of a common currency are reported:

More choice and stable prices for consumers and citizens
Greater security and more opportunities for businesses and markets
Improved economic stability and growth
More integrated financial markets
A stronger presence for the EU in the global economy
A tangible sign of a European identity

Moreover, from a technical point of view, at the end of 80s it was clear that building a European single market without a common currency was absolutely impossible. 

History provides the evidence of that. For example, till the unification in 1870, Italy was divided in several small Countries, each one with its own currency. Only after the unification, under a unique currency, the economic integration has been able to grow up. And could we imagine the same economic power of USA, if there were 50 different currencies?

Obviously Eu economic governance doesn’t work well. It is evident to everyone. But it is also true that National Governments very often transfer their responsibilities on Euro, hiding their faults and their weaknesses.

Finally, today travelling from Warsaw to Budapest requires using four different currencies and imply losing money for each transaction. Can we really imagine to crystallize this situation also in the future?