Euro area

Today, around 340 million citizens in 19 countries live in the euro area. This number will increase as future enlargements of the euro area continue to spread the benefits of the single currency more widely in the European Union.

What is the euro area?

The euro area consists of those Member States of the European Union that have adopted the euro as their currency.

Euro coins and notes

Euro coins

Euro banknotes

Exchanging national cash

Copyright and reproduction rules of euro coins and notes

Euro cash in transit

National central banks and mints in the European Union

The benefits of the euro

The euro was created because a single currency offers many advantages and benefits over the previous situation where each Member State had its own currency

Enlargement of the euro area

Who can join and when?

Convergence criteria for joining

Convergence Reports

Introducing the euro

Scenarios for adopting the euro

Preparing for the cash changeover

Adoption of the fixed euro conversion rate

Anti-counterfeiting

Anti-counterfeiting measures

Legislation against euro-counterfeiting

The European Technical and Scientific Centre (ETSC)