A new episode of Real Economy on Euronews explores the question of “What’s next?” for the euro. The single currency has come a long way in the twenty years since its beginning: from a dream project not many believed in, to the early discussions on an economic and monetary union in the 1960s, to its status now as the currency of 19 EU Member States used by 340 million Europeans and a further 175 million people worldwide. The euro’s second decade has been overshadowed by the crisis, with five euro area countries seeking help, emergency measures such as the European Stability Mechanism introduced, and a growing recognition of the need for a banking union in order to prevent a repeat of the crisis. Nonetheless, seeing the benefits, many EU countries still wish to join the currency bloc. Bulgaria, for example, took two major steps towards joining the euro area last summer, including agreeing to join the exchange rate mechanism, also known as the ERM II, as well as joining the European banking union. Bulgaria must still complete some reforms, however, in order to meet the convergence criteria set by the Maastricht Treaty in 1991. Eurogroup President Mário Centeno, who was interviewed by Euronews, noted that “20 years is a very short period of time for an institution as important as the euro.” Twenty years from now, he therefore expects to see “a much more mature currency area with stronger institutions [and] further integration.”