Blair comes out fighting for the euro
 

FYI:<BR><BR>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...297837,00.html

Very interesting. Thanks for the news alert.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Thanks, Vita. <BR><BR>England is an EU country, right? Are there other EU countries which have not adopted the euro?

Denmark, Uk, Sweden<BR><BR>Greece didn't meet the requirements

The EU website says that Greece does have the euro.<BR><BR>http://europa.eu.int/abc/eu_members/greece/index_en.htm

Capo,<BR><BR>actually Great Britain is not an EU country.

Thanks for the info, everyone. Guess I'm not as Euro-savvy as I thought, since I didn't realize that Great Britain is not part of the EU. That would explain, at least in part, why they haven't adopted the euro although adoption of the euro doesn't sound like a requirement for EU countries if Denmark and Sweden are EU countries and do not have the euro.

The United Kingdom certainly is a member of the EU.<BR><BR>http://europa.eu.int/abc-en.htm

Maybe we're discussing technical terms for countries' names, but the EU site says the United Kingdom is a member.<BR><BR>http://europa.eu.int/abc/eu_members/index_en.htm<BR><BR>Though like Denmark and Sweden they do not participate in the euro currency as of now.

Ah, thanks, jahoulih. You've made me feel more Euro-savvy after all.<BR><BR>This sounds like a topic for the McLaughlin Group. Great Britain: member of the EU or not? :)

Mmmh. I think the full name is "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".

I understand from an Englishman that England did not vote to go to the Euro, but he said he expected they would. M.

Capo, your eurodition is beyond question as far as I'm concerned.

And eurokay yourself, jahoulih.

Yes right, UK, Sweden and Demark are EU countries currently outside the Eurozone. While Sterling and Swedish Krona float against euro, I believe Danish Krona is actually shadowing euro, with very small variation. So for the Danes it could be sovereignty/national pride issue, rather than economic one.

Why should the UK, with a strong currency, adopt a weaker currency, and participate in the high unemployment found in Germany and its neighbours? The UK is waiting for 5 economic criteria to be met, and one of those is that joining the euro will not lead to a rise in unemployment.

1. Greece didn't meet the requirements when the euro was launched, now it does (hence the Greek characters on the euro bills), so it's part of it<BR>2. Denmark voted twice against it, even though their currency is linked to what used to be the D-Mark, now... the euro. Nice nationalistic hypocrisy, but they're "sovereign" all right !<BR>5. The 5 "criteria" are not figure-related, just questions whose answer can very well yes or no, depending on the europhilia/phobia of the person/organisation. As in Denmark, I think it's a way of keeping the europhobic/tabloid reading/xenophobic component of British society happy before they realise this summer that they can pay for their beer in euros in Spain and Greece and, yes, it works. Referendum should be summer/autumn 2003

<BR><BR>Having a strong currency isn't necessarily an advantage. It's however a good reason not to join the eurozone, since if the UK adopted the Euro now, at the current exchange rates, british products wouldn't be competitive on the european markets. Waiting until the Pound is at a more reasonnable level against the euro makes a lot of sense.

1) UK is in EU.<BR>2) Greece has had euro since 1.1.2002 just like others.<BR>3) UK, Sweden and Denmark, although EU-countries, have not adapted euro.<BR>4) Swedes are getting second thoughts, and it seems that if the vote for or against would be arranged now, the result would be in favour of euro. They are talking about joining in 2004.

Stephen Byers, accident prone cabinet Minister, let slip that Tony Blur was planning on announcing a UK referendum on the Euro this winter.<BR><BR>Stephen Byers - if you looked in his cutlery drawer all you would find is spoons.