International status and usage of the euro

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Worldwide use of the euro and U.S. dollar:
  Eurozone
  External adopters of the euro
  Currencies pegged to the euro
  Currencies pegged to the euro within narrow band
  United States
  External adopters of the U.S. dollar
  Currencies pegged to the U.S. dollar
  Currencies pegged to the U.S. dollar within narrow band

The international status and usage of the euro has grown since its launch in 1999. When the euro formally replaced 12 currencies on 1 January 2002, it inherited their use in territories such as Montenegro and replaced minor currencies tied to pre-euro currencies, such as in Monaco. Four small states have been given a formal right to use the euro, and to mint their own coins, but all other usage outside the eurozone (the EU states who have adopted the euro) has been unofficial. With or without an agreement, these countries, unlike those in the eurozone, do not participate in the European Central Bank or the Eurogroup.

Its growing use in this regard has led to its becoming the only significant challenger to the U.S. dollar as the world's main reserve currency.

International adoption

Sovereign states

State Adopted euro Issuing rights Pop.
 Andorra[1] 1 January 1999 (de facto)[a]
1 April 2012 (de jure)[2] 		1 July 2013 82,000
 Monaco[3][4][5][6] 1 January 1999 1 January 2002 32,671
 San Marino[7][8][9][10] 29,615
 Vatican City[11][12][13][14] 800

Several

Monegasque franc, which was pegged to the French franc.[2][15] Between 2010 and 2012, new agreements between the EU and Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican City came into force.[2]

A

euro coins as early as 1 July 2013, provided they comply with the agreement's terms.[17][18] However, the first Andorran euro coins did not enter into circulation until January 2015.[19][20]

Eurozone participation
European Union member states
(special territories not shown)
  20 in the eurozone
  1 in ERM II, without an opt-out (Bulgaria)
  1 in ERM II, with an opt-out (Denmark)
  5 not in ERM II, but obliged to join the eurozone on meeting the convergence criteria (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Sweden)
Non–EU member states
  4 using the euro with a monetary agreement (Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City)
  2 using the euro unilaterally (Kosovo and Montenegro)

Dependent territories outside the EU

See also:
Special member state territories and the European Union

Outside the EU, there are currently three

EMU are applied in territories of theirs using the euro.[21][22][23][24]

The first OCTs to adopt the euro through a monetary agreement were the French overseas territories of

introduced at the electronic level.[22] Mayotte subsequently held a referendum in 2009 in which it decided to become an integral part of France. Its status was changed from an OCT to an OMR, where EU laws apply without separate agreements, on 1 January 2014,[25]
which rendered the previous monetary agreement unnecessary.

On 22 February 2007,

overseas territory of the European Union on 1 January 2012, changing its status to an OCT, the territory had to sign a monetary agreement to continue using the euro.[26]

With the adoption of the euro by Cyprus on 1 January 2008, the

Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which had previously used the Cypriot pound, also decided to adopt the euro. The base areas are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom and under military jurisdiction. Even when the UK was an EU member state, the base areas were not considered part of the EU. The euro was instead adopted to align the base areas with the laws and currency of the Republic of Cyprus.[27]

Territories outside EU Adopted euro Agreement Pop. Notes
United Kingdom Akrotiri and Dhekelia 1 January 2008 7 August 2007[24] 14,500 UK dependent territory. Replaced the Cypriot pound with the euro along with Cyprus.[24]
Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Pierre and Miquelon 1 January 1999 31 December 1998[28] 6,125 An OCT of France.
French Southern and Antarctic Lands French Southern and Antarctic Lands 1 January 1999 140 An OCT of France.
Saint Barthélemy
Saint-Barthélemy
 1 January 1999 12 July 2011[26] 8,823 Agreement entered into force on 1 January 2012 when the territory's status changed from an OMR to an OCT.[26]

Unilateral adopters

Further information: Kosovo and the euro, Montenegro and the euro, and Currency substitution § Euro
State/Territory Adopted Seeking Notes Pop.
 Kosovo 1 January 2002[b] EU membership[30]
Potential candidate
 1,700,000
 Montenegro 1 January 2002[c] EU membership[31]
Candidate
 684,736

Montenegro and Kosovo have also used the euro since its launch, as they previously used the German mark instead of the Yugoslav dinar. Unlike the states above, they do not have a formal agreement with the EU to use the euro as their currency, and have never minted marks or euros; rather, they depend on bills and coins already in circulation.[32][33][34]

Due to concerns that Serbia could use the dinar to destabilise Kosovo and Montenegro (the latter was in a political union with Serbia until 2006), both received Western help in adopting and using the mark (though there was no restriction on the use of the dinar or any other currency). They switched to the euro when the mark was replaced. In North Kosovo, mainly populated by the Serbian minority, the Serbian dinar, which replaced the Yugoslav dinar, continues to be used despite its lack of recognition or use elsewhere in Kosovo.[35]

The use of the euro in Montenegro and Kosovo has helped stabilise their economies, and for this reason the adoption of the euro by small states has been encouraged by former

Finance Commissioner Joaquín Almunia. Former European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet stated that the ECB – which does not grant representation to those who unilaterally adopt the euro – neither supports nor deters those wishing to use the currency.[citation needed
]

In October 2012, Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli suggested that he was considering making the euro the third official currency of Panama, alongside the U.S. dollar and Panamanian balboa.[36]

This Swiss petrol station accepts payment in euros

Usage in states with another official currency

In various countries, the euro is accepted by some merchants despite not being the official currency there. Additionally, it is sometimes used for pricing purposes even when actual payments are made in the official currency (e.g., for real estate).

EU members outside the eurozone

The euro is often accepted in shops in countries neighboring the eurozone, like the border areas and capitals of Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, which are near to Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia; the border areas of Switzerland, which is entirely surrounded by eurozone members; the border areas between Sweden and Finland; and more.

Also, a large number of petrol stations and motorway service areas in European countries outside the eurozone accept euros, and Poland (as well as non-EU members Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia) allow payment of highway tolls in euros.[32]

The euro is explicitly included in some laws in non-eurozone countries, including

EU directives. The laws, for example in money laundering
, include specific euro amounts above which certain rules apply.

In some areas of

CFP Franc
.

United Kingdom

Sign at a London souvenir stall, stating that payment in euros is accepted

Some tourist-oriented shops in the United Kingdom accept the euro.[citation needed] In Northern Ireland, which shares a land border with the eurozone, the euro is accepted in some shops, including many chain stores.[37]

Northern Cyprus

The application of

Cyprus dispute were resolved through unification), whose official legal tender
is the euro.

Presently, the TRNC government has declared the Turkish lira to be its legal tender. The euro (along with other major currencies, such as the U.S. dollar and British pound) can be used to pay for goods and services in many shops associated with or situated near tourist hotspots, as well as some major supermarkets.[39][40] However, the exchange rate used by these businesses may not always reflect the true value of the currencies involved.[41][42] Cypriot euro coins, using both Greek and Turkish languages, have been designed to avoid any bias towards any particular area of the island,[43] in keeping with both Greek and Turkish being the official languages of the Republic of Cyprus.[44] Some in northern Cyprus have called for the unilateral adoption of the euro.[45]

Zimbabwe

From April 2009 to June 2019,

Chinese yuan (元/¥), and Japanese yen (¥) were used instead, along with U.S.-cent denominated Zimbabwean bond coins and bond notes.[47][48]

Trading currency

In 1998, Cuba announced that it would replace the U.S. dollar with the euro as its official currency for the purposes of international trading.[49] On 1 December 2002, North Korea did the same. (Its internal currency, the wŏn, is not convertible and thus cannot be used to purchase foreign goods. The euro also enjoys popularity domestically, especially among elites and resident foreigners.) Syria followed suit in 2006.[50]

Since 2007, Iran has asked all petroleum customers to pay in non-U.S. dollar currency in response to American sanctions. This has resulted in the Iranian oil bourse trading in several currencies, predominantly the euro for European trade, and either the yen or euros for sales in Asia.

In 2018, in response to U.S. sanctions, the Venezuelan Minister of Industries and National Production

Chinese yuan and other hard currencies instead. El Aissami said the government would open bank accounts in Europe and Asia as potential workarounds to financial sanctions. In addition, Venezuela's banking sector will now be able to participate in currency auctions three times a week, adding that the government would sell some 2 billion euros amid a rebound in oil prices.[51]

Pegged currencies

Currently, there are several currencies

pegged
to the euro, some with fluctuation bands around a central rate and others with no fluctuations allowed around the central rate. This can be seen as a safety measure, especially for currencies of areas with weak economies. The euro is seen as a stable currency, i.e., there are no dramatic appreciations or depreciations of its value that might suddenly damage the economy or harm trade. Thus it provides security to traders and people holding that currency.

In 2011, the Swiss franc was rapidly appreciating against the euro, harming its exports to the eurozone. In response, Switzerland implemented a cap to the Swiss franc's value. This was not so much a peg, as they were merely limiting its highest value and not its lowest.

Flag(s) State Pop. Area (km2) Code National currency Central rate Pegged since Fluctua­tion band Formerly pegged to EMU
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina 3,475,000
(2020 est.) 		51,129 BAM Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark 1.95583 19991 January 1999 0.00% DEM (from 21 November 1995)
Bulgaria Bulgaria 6,447,710
(2022 est.) 		110,910 BGN Bulgarian lev 1.95583 19991 January 1999 0.00% DEM (from 1997) ERM2
Cape Verde
Cabo Verde
 561,901
(2021 cs.) 		4,033 CVE Cape Verdean escudo 110.265 19991 January 1999 0.00% PTE (from middle of 1998)
Comoros Comoros 850,886
(2019 est.) 		2,170 KMF Comorian franc 491.9678 19991 January 1999 0.00% FRF (from 23 November 1979)
Denmark Denmark 5,935,619
(2023 est.) 		43,094 DKK Danish krone 7.46038 19991 January 1999 2.25% (de facto 0.5%) XEU ERM2
Morocco Morocco
(inc. Western Sahara) 		37,984,655
(2022 est.) 		712,550 MAD Moroccan dirham ≈ 11 19991 January 1999 –
North Macedonia North Macedonia 1,836,713
(2021 est.) 		25,713 MKD Macedonian denar 19991 January 1999 DEM (from October 1995)[52]
São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe 220,372
(2023 est.) 		1,001 STN São Tomé and Príncipe dobra 24.5 20101 January 2010 0.00%

Benin
Burkina Faso
Ivory Coast

Guinea-Bissau
Mali
Niger
Senegal
Togo

XOF currency union
;
Benin
Burkina Faso
Côte d'Ivoire
Guinea-Bissau
Mali
Niger
Senegal
Togo 		141,244,341
(14,214,095
22,489,126
2,078,820
29,344,847
21,359,722
25,396,840
18,383,658
8,703,961
(2023 est.)) 		3,269,077 XOF West African CFA franc 655.957 19991 January 1999 0.00% FRF (from 17 October 1948)

Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Republic of the Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
XAF currency union;
Cameroon
Central African Republic

Chad
Republic of the Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon 		64,023,929
(30,135,732
5,552,228
18,523,165
5,677,493
1,737,943
2,397,368
(2023 est.)) 		2,757,528 XAF Central African CFA franc 655.957 19991 January 1999 0.00% FRF (from 17 October 1948)

French Polynesia
New Caledonia
Wallis and Futuna 		XPF currency union;
French Polynesia
New Caledonia
Wallis and Futuna 		561,751
(278,786
271,407
11,558
(2022/ 2019/ 2018 census)) 		19,597 XPF CFP franc 119.3317 19991 January 1999 0.00% FRF (from 21 October 1949)

The Bulgarian lev is pegged to the euro through a

ERM II, the currencies have a fluctuation band of ±15%. Denmark, however, has committed to a tighter fluctuation band of 2.25%.[53]

The Moroccan Dirham has been historically pegged to a basket of currencies including the Euro and the US Dollar. In 2015, the Central Bank updated the weights of the peg to 60% for the Euro and 40% for the US dollar, against respectively 80% and 20% previously, to better reflect the current structure of foreign trade of the country.[54]

The

Dayton agreement
. Consequently, after introduction of the euro, the convertible mark has used the German-mark-to-euro rate at 1.95583 BAM per euro.

Since 2005, stamps issued by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta have been denominated in euros, although the Order's official currency remains the Maltese scudo.[55] The Maltese scudo itself is pegged to the euro and is only recognised as legal tender within the Order.

Reserve currency status

The percental composition of currencies of official foreign exchange reserves from 1995 to 2022.[56][57][58]

  US dollar
  Euro
  German mark
  French franc
  Sterling
  Japanese yen
  Renminbi
  Other

The euro is a major global

German mark, its share of international reserves has risen from 23.65% in 2002 to a peak of 27.66% in 2009 before declining due to the European debt crisis
, with Russia and Eastern Europe being the most significant users. [60] [61]

The possibility of the euro becoming the first international reserve currency was widely discussed before 2009.[62] Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan gave his opinion in September 2007 that the euro could indeed replace the U.S. dollar as the world's primary reserve currency. He said it is "absolutely conceivable that the euro will replace the dollar as reserve currency, or will be traded as an equally important reserve currency."[63]

As of 2021, however, the euro has not displaced the U.S. dollar as primary reserve currency due to the European debt crisis.[citation needed] The euro's stability and future existence was doubted and its share of global reserves fell to 19% by year-end 2015 (compared to 66% for the U.S. dollar). As of year-end 2020, these figures stand at 21% for the euro and 59% for the U.S. dollar.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Between 1 January 1999, when the euro was launched, and 1 April 2012, when their Monetary Agreement with the EU came into force, Andorra did not have an official currency but used the euro as their de facto currency.
  2. Republic of Kosovo
    unilaterally adopted the Euro as its official currency.
  3. ^ Montenegro abandoned the use of the Yugoslav dinar in November 1999. Since then, the Deutsche Mark was used as legal tender. When Germany yielded the Deutsche Mark for the Euro on 1 January 2002, Montenegro unilaterally adopted the Euro as its official currency.

References

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External links

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