I'm curious what people think about this.

I always thought it was a good idea, except now my coin collection isn't gonna grow as fast. The onyl other problem I've had with it here in America is that my friend keeps telling me the Bible predicted this and that Satan's coming.

I'm so hoping Iceland takes it up... the current currency is weak, except against the dollar, at least these day.

I think not, becuase you have to calculate every price in Euro from your own currency. I'm pretty skeptical about it.

Not being a Euro, I won't comment on the Euro.

However, I did just want to mention what a SHOCK it is to crawl out of the cryogenic freezer after four months to find that Xen is a fellow Symbol of Maradin.
[img]graemlins/jawdrop.gif[/img]

The benefit of the euro is that it can make Europe a stronger economic power. The problem with it is that if you want to make it truly successful, then you should take things much further than just introducing the same currency in different countries. That's why the referendum is so important.

On top of that, Europe should direct its focus on the leaders in the future, not the leaders of the past. We're way too slow when it comes to shifting our attention.

With the euro all the problems of changing currency within Europe are gone (give a few years for the new countries, of whom it seems Hungary shall be the last possibly to get the Euro by 2010...). This makes life easier for the average traveler, but you need to sacrifice some of your national characteristics to do so.

The euro does make Europe a stronger economic power and gives an easier means to compare it to the US or Japan on an economic level as comparing the individual strengths of European currencies with the $ was a bit tedious.

Yet, especially in France you see people who are having trouble getting over to the new system of the € and still think a lot in Francs. But on the long term as the new generation grows up with the euro these problems should disappear.

So I voted yes, because IMO the longterm benefits of the € outweigh the possible short term problems. I might be wrong, as I'm not a EU or economics specialist, and this is just my point of view.

No opinion really. It's probably here to stay anyway.

I myself keep calculating back into the figures of our old currency. Can't help it, i've been thinking in, working with, and living with the Guilder for more than 35 years, you can't change that over a few years.

And besides, i always like to compare things, check for how much they screw us over with when buying something. I can't come to any other conclusion than that we were screwed BIG TIME, the price increases are insane, and personally i've never met a person who didn't have anything to complain about the €.

When the euro got introduced I saw a documentary in which they compared the prices before and after. For example a type of sweet in Germany had cost one Deutsch Mark before the Euro and after the Euro it became 1 €. However 1€ is about 2 DM. A lot of other examples could also be made...however I have a question to people getting salaries in the EU: did the salaries also get higher or no?

Nope, got cut in half. They were very accurate concerning that. The priceincrease didn't take place in a few days, but it didn't take much longer than just a few months either.

So basically the € became the Guilder, but my budget became half of what it was before. I get confronted with it almost daily when doing grocerieshopping. What i was able to buy for 100 Guilders, should equal 50€ now, right ? Well, fookin wrong...you can't even get half of the products you could buy for your 100 G. Of course a price increase would have taken place nonetheless, but not as radical as this.

I don't recall ever seeing a pair of jeans worth 400/450 guilders, but with the € you'll see em a plenty. 200€ for a pair of jeans is becoming a normal sight. Well, not in 200 years i'm gonna spent that amount of money on one friggin pair of jeans.

The hairdresser i used to go to, charged me 25 G, now it's almost 30€. Just another example that the € transformed into the G.

That sounds...disconcerting. A hairdresser in Hungary costs the equivalent of 3€ for me BTW...I wonder how much that shall be after the change to the €...

I don't like it. But maybe that's because I'm a spoiled American. When I went to France 4 years ago, my dollar went REALLY far, as in I got almost all of my souveniers (sweatshirts, hats, etc) for only about $40 american. I got a really nice hand drawn charcol drawing of me done for around $30 American (about 200 francs) At the time, the american dollar was between $6-7 to the Franc.

When I went to Ireland last August, it was $1.75 to the Euro. My money went real fast then.

Johnny, I've heard the same complaint from my cousin when she returned from France. She had been working as a teacher in Lyon. Prices went way up, salaries did not.

[ 03-14-2005, 06:08 PM: Message edited by: harleyquinn ]

I like it. Although the short-term inflation did hurt my budget. On the bright side, it's a very stable coin that is helping our across-border trade. Which is especially good for my own country, as we export quite alot. Also, I heard the OPEC countries are considering selling their oil in Euro's, rather then Dollars. And if that were that happen.. well, let's just say I'd gladly endure all the Euro inflation again.

As if that's money that directly flows into your wallet. You won't see any benefits of that, take my word for it.

It would mean a massive boost for our economy, as all countries would be buying their natural resources in Euro's (meaning: they'd have to buy them here). When the economy goes up, the employement in my sector grows with it. I can see how that would be good. ;)

As a former European I like it. I hated touring Europe and getting ripped off at every border. It will help trade and tourism no end. Traders have being using it as a price gouge for a couple of years and have flourished by hiding behind it but given time market forces will prevail (yes market forces do work in big countries like united Europe) and life will get back to normal. The same thing happened in Britain during the changeover to decimal currency.

LOL

But why be shy of commenting on matters outside Europe?

<font face="Verdana" size="3" color="#00FF00">Not to worry every thing will work out in the end. When they changed our dollar to the loonie people complained that the currency would not be taken seriously but it made little difference. Investors loved it so much they made a twonie as the next highest currency. Soon they will be making a foonie (5 dollar coin) :D </font>

[ 03-22-2005, 11:32 AM: Message edited by: pritchke ]