The euro
The euro was introduced in January 1999 as the single currency of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) countries. As of that date, national currencies became non-decimal sub-divisions of the euro.
On 1 January 2002 euro banknotes and coins were put into circulation in Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland – the twelve EMU countries – and also in four micro-states – Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City.
The euro is also legal tender in the overseas territories and islands of the countries involved – Azores, Madeira, Guadeloupe, Canary Islands, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Mayotte, Réunion, Martinique, Melilla, Ceuta and French Guiana – thus circulating not only in mainland Europe but also in the Atlantic islands, Africa, South America and the Caribbean.