Re: Getting ready for the Big Bang, Volume 11, Number 29, July 25 - August 7, 2005
By the looks of it, Slovakia is likely to have one of the smoothest changeovers to the euro.
The criteria can be met without a hiccup, the euro already found it's path, the Slovak crown is not as entrenched in people's minds as were, for instance, the Deutsche mark or the Dutch guilder.
One can already pay in euros in Slovakia in the various supermarkets without a glitch. Slovaks generally knew that the euro was coming when they said "yes" to joining the EU, contrary to most other EU countries.
What a magnificent achievement it will be when a Slovak can cross the border in a westerly direction without having to stop for customs or to change money. Also, how magnificent, after a mere 18 years, to realize that the money in your pocket is exactly the same money a Frenchman, an Austrian or a German has in his pocket.
Oscar,
Radošovce, Slovakia
