These articles appeared in the Irish Times to-day. I have also found proof that the Britsh Guardian is not metric at all. Some Guardian non-metric articles are in the Irish Times to-day. The IT is always metric in covering European news, and that can be found in some of the articles below. In covering the fires in Australia (go to http://www.ireland.com for this) the Guardian uses Imperial. Covering the euro in The Netherlands and Belgiuma as well. Go down to "A question of national identity" from the Guardian Newsservice: "It will be a very good thing on holiday," said Steve Troeuer, a Belgian builder, withdrawing his first euros in Riemst, a non-descript village five miles from the Dutch border. - (Guardian Service) There is also a European edition of the Guardian, specifically targeted at continental Europeans, and printed in mainland Europe, which is ifp through and through. A map of France, for instance will have a scale in miles only, and not very long ago its European weather forecasts were in Fahrenheit. The covering of the Tour de France in the British and the European editions is always Imperial only. I have the impression that this otherwise progressive newspaper is attempting to'educate' us so that we may be weaned off metric and into ifp in the long run.
Han Irish Times, Wednesday, 2001 January 2 Conversion of banking system almost complete By Siobh�n Creaton, Finance Correspondent The banking system is almost completely converted to euro, with only a few cash machines in locations such as factories and universities to be put back into service. The Irish Bankers' Federation said the industry has largely met its targets with bank accounts, point-of-sale machines and Internet and telephone banking systems all converted to the euro. The Central Bank of Ireland was the only financial institution to open to the public yesterday. According to the bank, up to 3,000 people visited yesterday, with more than 1,500 transactions reported as customers exchanged pounds for euro. Most customers were typically exchanging amounts of �300, �400 and �500, according to a spokesman. Many of the people who availed of the Central Bank's services indicated they did not hold bank accounts. An IBF spokesman, Mr Felix O'Regan, pointed out that the service offered by the Central Bank was available to the general public at all banks, building societies and post offices until Irish notes and coins ceased to be legal tender on February 9th. All financial institutions will exchange up to �500 at a time into euro free of charge for anyone, regardless of whether they have a bank account or not. Many staff at the Republic's banks and building societies were working behind closed doors to ensure a smooth resumption of business today. Most banks across Europe were also closed. Mr O'Regan rejected suggestions that the banks should have opened to the public yesterday given the number of people who went to the Central Bank. The IBF is advising anyone who may have cash saved in their homes to open an account with one of the financial institutions or the post office. Mr O'Regan stressed it could take some time to set up a bank account, and it would be unrealistic for individuals to expect to walk into a financial institution in the run-up to February 9th and expect it to immediately process and lodge large amounts of cash. Customers are also advised to expect delays and maybe lengthy queues at bank branches when they open today. While all staff have undergone extensive training, customers are being told to allow more time to transact their usual business as staff and fellow customers get to grips with the new currency. "With a little patience and understanding the transition will be made more smoothly and effectively,"the IBF said. It is estimated that some 80 per cent of the country's ATMs are now dispensing euro. The first reopened from around 6 a.m. with a high number of transactions reported throughout the day. AIB said 65 per cent of its network was back in service by lunchtime and 85 per cent by close of business. The first customer to withdraw euro from one of its machines yesterday was at its branch in South Mall in Cork at around 8 a.m. The first retailer to use one of AIB's point-of-sale machines to process sales did so at 4.30 a.m., with garages reporting a high turnover in the early hours. The State's largest bank estimates that some 33,000 people used its ATMs yesterday to withdraw cash, with a further 54,000 transactions through Laser and credit cards. This is broadly in line with last year's levels, and customers are generally continuing to take out the same amounts of cash as normal. Bank of Ireland also reported a successful completion of its conversion, with cash machines now largely back in operation. Customers can view a list of the locations which are open at www.bankofireland.ie. The bank's head of group EMU planning and development, Mr Michael Watson, said it would normally expect to process around 150,000 withdrawals on New Year's Day. By 3 p.m. some 33,000 withdrawals had been made, with customers taking out more than 88 euro (�70) on average. National Irish Bank and Ulster Bank cash machines were also reopened around the State. British moving closer to membership By Patrick Wintour, in London The British government yesterday came closer than ever before to suggesting British membership of the newly-launched euro was inevitable. The Europe minister, Peter Hain, asserted it was not sustainable for sterling to co-exist indefinitely alongside the new European currency. Conservatives immediately claimed the Tony Blair government was trying to drive a sceptical, but fatalistic British public into the euro by stressing its inevitability. Polls are showing big increases in the numbers who believe it will be impossible for sterling to stand alone Mr Hain, speaking on the day of the euro's momentous launch, said: "I doubt in the end that it is possible to run a sort of parallel currency economy." This was the furthest a senior British minister has gone in revealing government thinking in what is widely seen as the decisive year in determining whether Tony Blair will risk a referendum. Mr Hain has been given licence by Downing Street gradually to harden the pro-euro case without undermining the primacy of the five economic tests or the authority of Britain's chancellor, Gordon Brown, in determining whether those tests have been met. But Mr Hain later stressed that his remarks did not change government policy. But there is a growing belief in government circles that on the back of the euro's successful launch, Mr Blair would like to hold a referendum next year, and Britain's Foreign Office is now backing the move. In theory, Mr Brown does not have to announce the result of the Treasury assessment until June 6th, 2003, but Mr Hain said he expected earlier publication. The Conservative party chairman, David Davis, said the government was deliberately presenting resistance as futile. "The fact that they are trying to ride the argument of inevitability demonstrates actually how weak their case is, that there aren't stronger arguments," he said. He claimed the only test that really mattered for the government was whether Mr Blair believed he could win a referendum. - Guardian News Service Delays likely: euro replaces the punt By Arthur Beesley Delays are expected on buses and trains today when hundreds of thousands of commuters use the euro for the first time. Passengers returning to work after the Christmas break can pay their fares in punts but will receive change only in the new currency. Dublin Bus, Bus �ireann and Iarnr�d �ireann said no significant difficulties were faced yesterday when the euro was introduced. Taxi representatives also said the changeover ran smoothly. However, only reduced services were available on the bank holiday, and a greater challenge is expected today when full services are resumed. About 500,000 people travel on Dublin Bus services on a normal day, its spokesman said, and some 200,000 on a bank holiday. Tickets were issued in euro denominations for the first time yesterday. In an effort to encourage passengers to purchase pre-paid tickets, mobile ticket units would be parked outside Clerys department store in O'Connell Street; in Westmoreland Street; and at Aston Quay and Eden Quay. Passengers have been urged not to mix currencies and to pay their exact fare because change receipts will not be issued again until January 22nd. The company normally issues change receipts which can be redeemed at its office in O'Connell Street, but this has been suspended to facilitate the changeover. Based on figures from the same period last year, this was expected to leave Dublin Bus with a change surplus of 440,000 euro. The company had divided that amount among six charities instead of paying change. The spokesman added that euro fares had been rounded down by order of the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke. Iarnr�d �ireann said the changeover went "exceptionally well" yesterday. While inter-city services were busy due to the end of the holiday season, its spokesman said, the major test would be faced this morning when full commuter services resume. Staff on the Enterprise service between Dublin and Belfast had handled sterling, punt and euro yesterday, he said. Rail passengers were encouraged to use pre-paid monthly and weekly tickets. The company is running a draw to encourage take-up. Bus �ireann's spokesman also said no major difficulties were faced yesterday. However, many of those who used the service were travelling with return tickets purchased before Christmas, and commuter traffic was low. With full services resuming today, the company is accepting payment in both currencies until February 9th. It began issuing change in only euro yesterday. Despite a fare increase from yesterday, taxis were thin on the ground on the night of December 31st and on New Year's Day. The vice-president of the National Taxi-Drivers' Union, Mr Vincent Kearns, attributed the shortage to a "low" bank holiday charge which was "no great incentive" for drivers to work. The fare rise brings the daytime rate for a five-mile journey 15.7 per cent higher. Of the euro's introduction, Mr Kearns said the greatest problem was that drivers had not been able to stock up with euro notes before yesterday. In addition, only 40 per cent of drivers had converted their meters in advance of the changeover. Bubbly greets early money-changers By Mary Minihan Champagne does not usually flow at the Central Bank in Dublin at 10 a.m. but an exception was made yesterday for the introduction of the euro. Bank staff were surprised by the enthusiastic response to their offer to change pounds to euros on a frosty new year's morning and rewarded their chilly customers with champagne, whiskey and hot drinks. "We don't normally have champagne in the Central Bank at this time of the morning, but I think we can say the euro is popular by the looks of it," said a spokesman, Mr Neil Whoriskey. More than 1,500 transactions were carried out at the bank yesterday, with the average involving �300 (380.92 euro). However, a significant number of customers wanted to exceed the bank's �500 exchange limit. "We did have cases with some people with thousands of pounds, at least one customer with more than �3,000," Mr Whoriskey said. "We had to explain nicely to them that our limit was �500." About 100 people, mostly senior citizens, had gathered outside the bank by 10 a.m. In the afternoon, the queue stretched down the steps and round the corner to Dame Street. At 2.15 p.m, bank staff stopped additional people joining the queue and the last customer left the bank at 5 p.m. Although shops were still accepting pounds and most city-centre cashpoints were dispensing euros, many preferred to exchange what was left of their "old money" at the only bank in the State to open for business yesterday. First in line was Mr Robert Wilson from Stoneybatter, who turned up at 7.45 a.m., but only because he thought the bank was opening at 9 a.m. Mr Wilson's long wait to change money for his mother and himself was rewarded with a bottle of champagne, presented to him by bank staff when the doors finally opened. He said the adoption of the euro would make it easier for him to follow his favourite football team, Arsenal, around Europe. A Kildare man, Mr Edward Lynch, was waiting to change �300 for the euro equivalent. "What I'll get for that I don't know. I haven't a clue," he said. However, once he got his hands on the euro notes, he was determined to "try them out in the pub". Mr Tom Byrne from Walkinstown said he had no choice but to turn out early to get his hands on the new money. "I have hungry grandchildren waiting to grab it," he said. Did they understand the new currency? "I hope so, because I certainly don't!" New Year's Eve reveller Mr Andrew Mansfield from Upper Leeson Street in Dublin called at the bank after witnessing angry scenes in the early hours of yesterday morning. He said some of his fellow clubbers did not know cash points would close at 1.30 a.m. on New Year's Day morning and were left without enough money to get home. "People were trying to get money out at College Green last night. There were a lot of very annoyed people with no money," he said. Mr James Tunney, from Finglas but living in Scotland, was collecting some euros to make his trip to France next week easier, while Ms Marion Winget from Tallaght said she simply wanted to see what the new money looked like. 'Exchange' brings queues to west By Lorna Siggins, in Galway The euro's introduction caused large queues and larger headaches in one of Galway's main retail outlets yesterday, when it opened for restricted New Year's Day business in the afternoon. Customers of Pat Joyce's supermarket in the western suburb of Knocknacarra were asked to change pounds to euros at a service counter before paying for purchases at the retail tills. However, when contacted by The Irish Times, Mr Pat Joyce, the supermarket owner, denied that this was the case and said that there had been some "confusion" among staff in the first couple of hours of trading. Signs advising customers of this requirement had been placed at the entrance and were still in place at 4.30 p.m. yesterday. Staff at the main tills were refusing to take pounds, but would accept credit cards. Queues for the "exchange" at the customer services desk stretched well out the main door at one point, in bitterly cold weather. Mr Joyce acknowledged that the system may have been applied in the first couple of hours of trading, but shortly before 6 p.m. he said the exchange was merely to facilitate customers. Pounds could be presented at all tills, he added. "A lot of people are delighted to have this exchange service, and I have had no complaints," he said. Joyce's supermarket serves a catchment of almost 12,000 in Knocknacarra. Smaller shops which opened in and around Galway yesterday were accepting pounds and returning change in euro. Mixed blessing for Limerick traders By �ibhir Mulqueen, Midwest Correspondent Limerick traders greeted the euro with mixed feelings yesterday, with most thankful for the quiet bank holiday business. Some businesses, however, felt they were doing the banks' job in providing conversion facilities. City centre pubs, which would normally have a busy lunchtime period, made do with people having a quiet drink while the unfamiliar freshly minted change became a point of conversation. Eugene and Lillian Quinn, who had been in South's Pub at the Crescent, said the new coins were a nuisance and looked similar to Irish currency coins. Mr John Sheehan noticed that the �2.20 he paid for a pint of Beamish was the euro equivalent of ?2.79, a cent less than the new official euro price. For Guinness drinkers the price, at ?3.05, appeared to have reached a new high. "We had a bit of a conversation with the people behind the bar about what system they are working. They were not busy at the time so it was easy to converse with them," Mr Tom Barry said. "The pint is as good as ever," his brother, Mike, added. Ms Peggy Hickey, of South's, said most customers had their calculators with them for examining euro change. "We have one till for changing the currency only. It is all about taking your time." Ms Betty Clancy, of Kevin McManus Bookmakers, said the premises had to take a large amount of smaller denomination coins in order to have an adequate supply of 1 and 2 euro coins. She felt the Irish currency should have been withdrawn overnight instead of having a changeover period. "We are doing the banks' job for them. We are converting money for them. It is making it harder for us, slowing down our business." Ms Maria Flynn, the duty manager at the Glentworth Hotel, felt it was a bad day for banks to be closed because people tended to convert large amounts of cash. "They are handing out �100 or �200 for us to change. It is not as if we are changing the amount they want to buy a drink," she said. Although most businesses were quiet, Colbert Station was busy with travellers. Iarnr�d �ireann (Irish Rail) and Bus �ireann (Irish Bus) both operated separate queues for currency conversion. "Nobody is hostile to it. I think more people have time on their hands to think about it. They are not thinking about anything else except euro today," Ms Rita Lyons, an Iarnr�d �ireann teller said. The Paper Train shop at the station was feeling the loss of dedicating one till to conversion but Mr Niall Rice felt that most people would use the euro exclusively within a week. He was critical of the similarity between the 1 and 2 euro coins. "If you handle it quickly, you are going to get caught. There should be more of a difference." Mr Glenn McLoughlin, manager of the White House, said the 50 cent and 20 cent coins were also similar. "If it had been last night or last week, there would have been mayhem. But anything to do with money, you would not be long getting used to it." City shops report smooth switch By Mary Minihan A smooth switch to the euro was reported by retailers and shoppers in a relatively quiet Dublin city centre yesterday. At Dunnes Stores in the St Stephen's Green Centre things seemed to be running smoothly and there was little evidence of the chaos euro-sceptics had predicted. "I feel that I'm totally European today," declared Ms Irene Brennan, of Ballsbridge, as she left the store. She felt there was a "wonderful buzz" around the launch of the currency. However, Ms Judith Hart, at the store's euro information desk, said while younger customers accepted the currency, many older people had told her they "didn't want to have to deal with it". Mr Nicky Wallace, from South William Street, used an old �10 note to pay for his morning paper in Grafton Street and received his "first handful of euros" in change. He praised the city's shop assistants for their efficiency, saying they were at the "coalface". Most shoppers were using "old money" to pay for their goods, although a spokesman for HMV on Grafton Street said 25 per cent of transactions were in the new currency. As Dublin was not particularly busy yesterday, the real test will come when business returns to normal after the holiday break. Consumers were urged to remain vigilant in a joint statement by the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Mr Tom Kitt, and the Director of Consumer Affairs, Ms Carmel Foley. Mr Kitt said: "Over the coming weeks, the full team of inspectors in the director's office will be out and about keeping an eye on the way in which retailers have converted prices to the new currency." Shy euro dodges midnight revellers By Jane O'Sullivan Dublin's Temple Bar may have been full of new year revellers in the early hours yesterday but there was precious little sign of the euro. Despite its official introduction at midnight on January 1st, a trawl of the capital's cultural quarter found that pounds and pence still held sway in pubs, fast-food outlets and late-night shops. The hard-pressed staff in the thronged Oliver St John Gogarty pub admitted they were waiting "until tomorrow" before taking on the additional task of dispensing the new currency. Meanwhile, fast-food outlets like Eddie Rocket's and Rasher Byrne's dispensed burgers and sausages to the hungry - in return for pounds and pence.Also waiting for the daylight hours before switching over to the new currency were the 24-hour shops who were sticking with what they knew best. Centras and Spars around the city centre were still dealing in pounds, giving them out even to those who were paying with credit cards and looking for money back. By now desperately seeking the euro, The Irish Times decided to turn to the city's transport providers to find evidence of its arrival, but the staff at the Dublin Bus Nitelink ticket desk on Westmoreland Street had yet to be presented with euro while the driver of the 39N Nitelink bus to Blanchardstown had also seen no sign of it. But just when hope was at an end, the elusive euros finally surfaced at the Heavenly Food Company in the heart of Temple Bar. Serving grilled frankfurters and Italian coffee, and staffed by a Belgian and a Ukrainian, the caf�'s till was well stocked with new euro coins. With a little prompting from The Irish Times, they undertook their first euro transaction. Presented with �2 for a hot chocolate costing �1.65, they handed out 44 cents, the equivalent of 35p, in change. The bemused purchaser pocketed the shiny new coins and wandered off into the night, without her hot chocolate. In Continental Europe there was much more of a rush. Many people rushed to withdraw euros from automated teller machines (ATMs) as soon as the euro became legal tender at midnight. Belgium had reported 600 cash withdrawals per minute in the first two hours of the new year. And in Beziers, France, Mr Oscar Lyons, from Glenageary in Dublin, claimed to be the first to use Irish euro coins in France. The youngster used coins from a starter pack to purchase a drink in a caf� at the stroke of midnight ( 11 p.m. Irish time). In Germany, taxi-drivers were first off the mark, so to speak, offering change in euros by midnight, though many shops and bars were reportedly slower to change over. By the end of the week we should all be well used to it. The EU Commission forecast that more than half of all transactions in the euro zone would be conducted in euros by then. A question of national identity Old habits will die hard in Europe's border countries and practical benefits can outweigh visions of integration, writes Ian black from Maastricht Patti Mesa's hot apple donuts were selling well in the freezing cold at Maastricht's old Main Square yesterday lunchtime and she was handling her euro change with impressive ease. Twenty years of living in the picturesque Dutch town where the famous EU treaty was signed in 1991 have done nothing to soften her distinctive Spanish accent, but the arrival of the single currency has quickly provoked thoughts about the links between money, identity - and the future. "I certainly feel Spanish when I am at home in Tenerife," Ms Mesa said, looking tired and perhaps a tad hung over after Monday night's festive euro-bash as she sprinkled sugar over a batch of steaming waffles. "But when I am here I feel more European." With millions across Europe starting to adjust to the novelty of life without guilders, marks or pesetas, old assumptions about national allegiance may eventually be challenged and a new sense of Europeanness forged. But a brief Guardian straw poll in the chilly borderlands of the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium yesterday suggested old habits may die hard. Mark Hollands (36), an engineer, biking through Maastricht's cobbled streets to buy currant cakes from Miss Mesa's booth, was "amazed" by the change over to the euro but quite certain that his own identity was not under threat. "I will still feel Dutch. We have a queen and the Germans do not." In the Pothuiske cafe, on the banks of the icy Maas, near where John Major, Francois Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl did summit battle a decade ago, pony-tailed waiter Walter Van Der Heijden felt that the town would now become even more of a crossroads. But his own relaxed sense of identity would not change. "I'm not chauvinistic but I am definitely not going to feel less Dutch because of the euro." Just half an hour's drive away, in the German city of Aachen, national identity seemed equally intact as citizens formed orderly queues in the Spaarkasse Bank to change their marks into euros or withdraw their first bank notes at the cashpoint on the street outside. "I still feel very German," said Mario Melcher (27), who works in a children's home. "But that is not because of money. After all, that is just something you pay with. Here the borders are still very much felt because of the second World War. Yet europhoria does not seem set to sweep all before it for modern Europeans, concerned not by the visions of the founding fathers of integration and the high flown rhetoric of their leaders, but by ordinary practical benefits. "It will be a very good thing on holiday," said Steve Troeuer, a Belgian builder, withdrawing his first euros in Riemst, a non-descript village five miles from the Dutch border. - (Guardian Service) Taoiseach celebrates euro launch By Arthur Beesley With the aplomb of a man on general election footing, Bertie Ahern chose a Drumcondra newsagent yesterday to carry out his first euro transaction. He bought sultana cake, milk and pears. He paid in punts, took the change in euro and smiled for the cameras. Easy. Never one to underplay such occasions, he then sipped champagne with the shopkeepers, Marion and Jim O'Neill. Like the bubbly, this was vintage Bertie. According to Marion, the Taoiseach comes in for newspapers and fruit every day. She was up past 3.30 a.m. on New Year's Eve, but had the shop open by 10.30 a.m. in anticipation of the visit. Ms O'Neill's 18-year-old daughter, Sin�ad, was up early, too. For her trouble, she received a Milky Bar from the Taoiseach. As a gaggle of photographers jockeyed for position, a handful of Mr Ahern's supporters stood by the fruit shelf in the small shop. Yes, Mr Tom Cullen (72) felt slightly "dicey" after New Year celebrations the night before. But that was not to deter him. A long-standing Fianna F�il supporter, he doesn't miss opportunities to see the great man. He had secured his position with a friend, Ms Phylis MacArthur, long before the Taoiseach arrived at 1 p.m. Yet the fuss seemed lost on Ms Ann O'Reilly, who wandered in to buy milk ahead of Mr Ahern. Asked about the euro, she received in change, she said: "I don't know, I'll have to get used to them." At five years old, Siobh�in Murphy was among the youngest present. She was there with her father, James, brother, Tom, and sister, Emer, to witness what Bertie described as significant symbolic purchase. "Do you understand, Siobh�in?" asked James. "He's the leader of our country." Siobh�in didn't. But others did. Thus the chairman of the Euro Changeover Board, Mr Philip Hamill, was present to advise that no hiccup had yet been reported in what has been described as an unprecedented logistical challenge. Still, Mr Hamill had not had a late night. "Our work was done. We were on call but we weren't called," he said. There, too, was the National Lottery chief executive, Mr Ray Bates, who observed the Taoiseach scratch a game card with a newly minted euro coin. Three stars were revealed, but the real prize will be fought for in the summer when an election is called. Will Bertie still be in the job after the poll? "We'll keep trying," he said. All politics are local. So expect more walkabouts by the Taoiseach soon. Price differentials across zone easier to spot By Clare O'Dea The euro has given Irish consumers a massive new stamping ground for virtual bargain-hunting. If you could buy your car in France, fill it up with petrol in Greece and stop off in Spain for a fillet steak and a trip to the cinema, you would save yourself a grand total of 9,423.58 euro (�7,421.67). With the advent of the single currency, price differentials across the 12 participating states are now easier to spot. Prices for basic goods and services in the Republic compare fairly well with other eurozone countries, with the notable exceptions of cars, cigarettes and beef, according to a price survey carried out by RT� Radio's Liveline team. The biggest item in the survey, a five-door 1.8 litre Ford Mondeo, is most expensive in the Republic at 27,045 euro, 53 per cent higher than the price paid by motorists in France and 24 per cent above the average eurozone price tag. Portugal and Finland are the only other two countries where the Mondeo is priced close to the Irish level. Taxi fares varied wildly from one country to the next. In the example quoted, a 10 km taxi ride to the city, the fares ranged from 6.50 euro in Greece to 30 euro in the Netherlands. The fare charged to Irish taxi customers for the journey was below average, at 12.70 euro. The Republic is by far the most expensive place in the eurozone to buy cigarettes, the survey shows. A pack of 20 Marlboro costs 5.05 euro here, compared with 2.10 euro in Portugal, 2.35 euro in Greece and 2.40 euro in Spain. The next most expensive place is Finland, at 4 euro a pack. Irish consumers could be forgiven for assuming that meat and dairy products are good value here but the Liveline survey reveals that this is one of the most expensive European states to buy fillet steak. At 25.38 euro , the price per kilo in the Republic is second-highest after Finland and three time more expensive than Spain. The average price is 19.46 euro per kilo. The cheapest litre of full fat milk can be bought in Belgium for 0.55 euro, and the price of an Irish litre is slightly above average at 0.83 euro. The price of Coca-Cola is also above average in the Republic, the second-highest in the eurozone at 1.33 euro for a 1.5-litre bottle. Portugal leads the way as the cheapest place to buy a 0.5-litre can of Guinness, a real bargain at 0.97 euro. The Netherlands is the most expensive at 5.31 euro and the Republic is below average at 3.43 euro. For practical purposes, most European consumers won't be able to profit greatly from the knowledge that some goods are cheaper in other states, but euro advocates argue that greater price harmonisation is a likely longer-term outcome of the single currency project. Euro launch described 'unqualified success' >From Denis Staunton in Brussels The European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB) have hailed the launch of euro notes and coins as an unqualified success. A spokesman for the Economic Affairs Commissioner, Mr Pedro Solbes, said yesterday that there had been no reported problems with the introduction of the new currency. "It seems that all the reports are positive. Nothing much is happening. No news is good news," he said. The ECB said it expected almost all cash machines in the 12 euro zone countries to have converted to euros by last night. Two thieves stole 90,000 euro from a Spanish bank, but a Europol spokesman said that fears of widespread theft and fraud had proved groundless. "From the law enforcement perspective the euro is one of the best protected currencies. It has had a smooth start," he said. The Commission predicted that half of all transactions in the euro zone would be conducted in euros by the end of this week. The euro was launched at midnight on Monday with a spectacular fireworks display in Brussels. Almost 20,000 people gathered at a monument near the EU headquarters to watch the spectacle. In Frankfurt earlier on Monday, the ECB President, Mr Wim Duisenberg, predicted that most Europeans would get used to using euros within a few weeks. "People have to learn. they have to get used to the new money. In a few weeks' time, most people won't remember their old currencies," he said. Mr Duisenberg presented awards to 24 schoolchildren from the 12 euro zone countries, including nine-year-old Imelda Hickey from Castledermot, Co Kildare, and 11-year-old Gerard Raftery from Tuam, Co Galway. The children were winners of a competition about the euro notes and coins. Mr Duisenberg predicted that the introduction of the euro would add momentum to the drive towards European integration in other policy areas. "It will be a catalyst for further integration in other fields, such as defence and foreign policy," he said. This theme was reflected by the EU Commission President, Mr Romano Prodi, who said it was "a special day, a great day for Europe." Pointing to the Commission's view on how the EU should not develop, he called for "more common rules" for economic and budgetary policy. The French President, Mr Jacques Chirac, hailed the euro's launch as a hugely significant event for Europeans. "The euro is a victory for Europe. After a century of being torn apart, of wars and tribulations, our continent is finally affirming its identity and power in peace, unity and stability," he said. Some pubs refuse to accept Irish coins By Jane O'Sullivan The refusal by some pubs to accept Irish coins was the biggest cause of complaint among consumers yesterday, the first day of trading in the euro. Although the changeover generally went smoothly, some consumers were annoyed when certain pubs declined to change Irish pound coins for euro and cent. Nearly a quarter of the 83 calls fielded by the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs yesterday related to the issue and it involved pubs across the State. Ms Carmel Foley said she would contact the two groups representing publicans, the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI), to seek an explanation. Although Ms Foley said consumers had to act in reasonable fashion, and not expect pubs to exchange large bags of coins which should rightly have been taken to the bank, they should be able to conduct normal transactions. "People can't expect to come in with their piggybanks but they should be able to do normal coin transactions." The Irish pound, in all its forms, remains legal tender until February 9th. With the banks closed, pubs, bookmakers, 24-hour shops and petrol stations were on the frontline in dispensing the new currency and reported few problems. "So far it's been OK," said Mr Tom Fitzgerald, of Fitzgerald's Albert House pub in Sandycove, Dublin. "We have calculators, ready reckoners, all the gear and people have been very good about it." Many people went out armed with euro calculators and the main source of confusion related to the smaller euro coins, particularly the five-cent coin which is copper-coloured, unlike the old silver-coloured 5p piece. Ms Foley said her office fielded a steady stream of calls through the day and, aside from the problems over acceptance of coins, nothing new was thrown up. There were some complaints about toll road charges, which was nothing to do with the euro, Ms Foley said. A few callers were annoyed at having to queue twice, once to change their money and then to carry out their transaction, while there were the usual questions about the value of the euro. "So far this voluntary system of compliance is working very well," said Ms Foley. "But if I find any evidence of wilful abuse by retailers I will, of course, publicly bring it to the attention of consumers and the Government." The euro notes contain numerous state-of-the-art features to help protect against forgeries. The bank notes are printed on pure cotton paper which contains fluorescent fibres. Some sections of the face are printed in relief, making them identifiable to the touch and acting as safeguards against forgery. Further ways of detecting whether a euro note is a forgery include checking the watermark and security thread running through it. The watermark displays a picture and the number indicating the value, which are visible if held up to light. The security thread is a dark line running through the note which can also be seen when held to light. Other tell-tale signs are discernible if the banknote is tilted. These signs vary between low and high denomination notes. Low denomination notes of five, 10 and 20 euro have a hologram foil stripe on which can be recognised the euro symbol and the value of the note. These denominations also have an iridescent stripe on the reverse side, which shines when the note is tilted under a bright light. Higher denominations of 50, 100, 200 and 500 euro have hologram patches showing an image of the motif and the value of the banknote when the note is tilted. Higher-value notes also have a colour-shifting ink feature. When the note is tilted, the value numerals change colour from purple to olive green or brown. If you encounter difficulties with the introduction of euro notes and coins. The Irish Times wants to know about it. Our daily Euro Watch column will chart readers' experiences with the transition process. Telephone the finance department on 01-679 2022 between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. today or e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Assorted official helplines will also be open. For consumers: Euro Changeover Board of Ireland - Tel: 1890-201050 (9 a.m. to 7 p.m.), Website: www.euro.ie; Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs - Tel: 1890-220229 (10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.), Web: www.odca.ie For business: Forf�s - Tel: 1890 20 83 08 (9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.), Web: www.emuaware.forfas.ie 'I'm not European, I'm British' >From Rachel Donnelly, in London In the famous stores of London's Oxford Street yesterday the euro makes only a few appearances. A few hours after 304 million people in 12 European currencies begin the biggest currency changeover in history many British shoppers look on curiously and wonder what all the fuss is about. In Selfridges, the fashionable department store, Jackie (79) is shopping for a book about cricket but she won't be using the euro even though the store accepts the new currency, because her "gut instincts" tell her the euro will be bad for Britain. "I always feel, rightly or wrongly, that I'm not European, I'm British," she says. "I know that it might be useful for people who are travelling, but the thing that frightens me about it is that we will become part of a European superstate." A straw poll among 10 other shoppers found seven didn't want Britain to join the euro and three said they supported the single currency. Fears about joining the euro aren't shared by Gary Tse (50), a financial adviser from Surrey browsing among the sales, who says if he had any euros in his pocket he would definitely use them. "Britain should join the euro because it would do away with nationalism," he says. While Britain hasn't joined the euro, High Street stores from Marks and Spencer, Dixons and Sainsburys to the luxury end of the market at Harrods have said they will accept the single currency. It makes economic sense in London, but whether "euro creep" - the ability to spend euros alongside sterling - will make a difference to shopping in rural Dorset or Ayrshire or persuade a sceptical British public to abolish sterling is debatable. The euro makes a brief appearance outside the House of Fraser store. Volunteers from the pro-euro Britain in Europe group are handing out "fake" euro notes to shoppers. With their blue balloons emblazoned with yellow euro signs and "Happy New Year, Happy New Euro" catchphrase they are a positive bunch, even in the midst of indifferent shoppers. Finally, at Marks and Spencer's flagship store at Marble Arch, a real euro note is handed over to a thrilled assistant. Peter (43), an engineer from Berlin, is visiting London for New Year and changed some sterling for euros at a bureau de change a few hours ago. He is buying some candles, so he hands over a 10-euro note, the assistant presses a button on the till and he is given his change in sterling. "It was all very easy once I got to the till," explains Peter. "I don't think it will be very long before Mr Blair takes Britain into the euro." With reports that Tony Blair will target female voters in a referendum on British membership and the Europe Minister, Peter Hain, predicting that an assessment of the Chancellor's famous five economic tests will be made in the next 17 months, Britain is looking on as the euro is born. Largely eurosceptic print media depicted the currency changeover as a leap into the dark, lamenting the loss of so many currencies with a mixture of curiosity and defiance. Pessimism about the euro was evident in the Times's front-page treatment of the Brussels launch, describing the event as having "as much showmanship as a chef with a sunken souffl�." The Daily Telegraph berated the Blair government for even contemplating the "surrender" of sterling "simply because some others are doing so." Germans mark change with little sentiment Confusion was kept to a minimum as Germans bade farewell to the deutschmark, although there was a bit of nostalgia, too, reports Derek Scally from Berlin A kilo of bananas is all that Gerhard Schr�der wanted to buy with his first euro yesterday. He tossed his last two-deutschmark coin to a busker on the street on his way home, just hours after Germany bade a dry-eyed farewell to its old currency and made a smooth transfer to the euro. After 53 years the country's most cherished symbol of post-war prosperity has been consigned to history. "Many people will be a bit wistful. We associate the mark with good old days in Germany, but you can be sure of one thing: even better days are to come," said Mr Schr�der in paternal tones during his New Year address. Over one million people gathered around the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin on Monday for an elaborate fireworks display and street party to welcome the new year and the new currency. German banks and businesses reported a smooth changeover yesterday, with enough notes and coins to go round. Confusion was kept to a minimum thanks to the simple exchange rate of almost exactly two deutschmarks to the euro. "People will ask themselves why we didn't do this sooner," said Hans Eichel, the German Finance Minister, as he received his first euro banknotes. As the new year's fireworks died down on Monday night, small queues formed around Berlin and other cities at cash machines that started dispensing euros shortly after midnight. "To an outsider it must look crazy, all of us here standing in the snow to collect money we can't even spend until tomorrow," said Dieter Fischer, outside a bank in Berlin's Kreuzberg district. Others had a more practical reason for waiting in the cold for the new currency. Almost all Berlin banks shut down their ATMs in the early afternoon on New Year's Eve to be ready for midnight, an unpleasant surprise for partygoers. In the city's bars and cafes, small groups of people gathered to study the new notes on Monday night. "Definitely just play money," was the view of one woman. "It's not that bad," said a female friend. "But it does remind me more of gift tokens than cash." Yesterday morning the queues at the cash machines had moved to the few shops in the city that were open, such as at the Ostbahnhof train station in eastern Berlin. Traders there said there were few problems with the new currency, though few customers were coming in with it. "Out of 10 people I have just served, only one actually paid in euro," said one shop owner. "I just hope we don't turn into the country's unofficial bureau de change." Malte Mienert from the eastern district of Treptow said most former East Germans had fewer emotional ties to the mark than Westerners. "The euro is just another currency for us easterners, like the deutschmark a decade ago," he said. There was little sign of nostalgia among Berliners for the late, great deutschmark. Although the currency reform of 1948 marked the post-war return to prosperity, the deutschmark was one of the first steps in the process that led to the Russian blockade of the city and the Berlin Wall. "The Germans are a little bit annoyed by it all, I think," said Bill Keogh from Limerick. Threat of bank strike takes shine off euro A bank strike threatened for today has taken the gloss of France's transition to the euro and is adding to the confusion caused by its introduction, according to agency reports from Paris French bank and postal workers plan to go ahead with a strike today, giving French consumers a potential headache on the first business day after the launch of euro cash. The planned strike over pay could add to the disruption banks and post offices already experienced yesterday, when automatic cash dispensers were occasionally unable to cope with demand for the new currency. Unions have warned that industrial action would be most severe at banks where there had been no pay deal whatever in the old year and, with financial institutions in Marseille, Toulouse in the south and Lyon in the east expected to be worst hit. "The situation will vary depending on whether there's been a pay deal and on what the job security and working conditions are like locally," Force Ouvriere (FO) union representative Pierre Gendre said. Postal workers are also expected to strike today after three unions appealed for industrial action, all but shutting down mail delivery and counter service - including bank services - around France. One of the three unions, the CFDT, has also warned its strike action, affecting counter personnel, cashiers and management would extend into tomorrow. But the introduction of the euro was hailed by Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, who confessed to being "somewhat moved" as he had a first real taste of the euro on a visit to shops in Paris's Montmartre district. "We just have to say adieu to the franc. It was a good friend, even if it was devalued a few times," he said. Many in France see the euro as a key step in 50 years of efforts to bind Germany into an unbreakable alliance after centuries of war. Bank unions said strike action was likely to be most severe at Credit Lyonnais, Societe Generale and Credit du Nord - all three private banks - and at the Caisse d'Epargne co-operative bank, none of which had clinched a pay deal. "The strike (at the Caisse d'Epargne) will probably continue on January 3rd because the management hasn't given any sign of wanting to negotiate," FO representative Christian Vaccaro said, adding that no date had been fixed for the strike there to end. Mr Gendre said workers were also likely to walk out at the CIC and CCF banks but that some staff at France's largest bank, BNP-Paribas, might still turn up for work. Management and unions reached pay deals in December at BNP-Paribas, CIC and Credit Agricole. In Brussels, meanwhile, Belgian shoppers were navigating their way round the new currency . With most Belgian shops and banks closed on the first day of the year, it was left to corner shops - the greengrocer and the baker - to bear the brunt of the first fumblings in the euro notes and coinage. There was little evidence of any price hikes on ordinary day-to-day goods, with many shopkeepers sticking religiously to the official conversion from Belgian francs to euro - even if it made things awkward for the customer. One woman buying a small cake in a "patisserie" near the centre of Brussels wanted to know why the new price 1.49 euro had not been rounded up to 1.50 euro, to make life easier. "The price marked is the exact conversion - I'm not going to be accused of taking advantage of my clients," said the man behind the counter. Many shopkeepers were avoiding giving away all their new coins and notes too quickly. Many Belgian cash points were empty by this morning, denuded fast by customers in the hours after midnight. Queues formed at thousands of bank outlets as people rushed to be among the first to withdraw the new euro notes. People even took photographs of their friends and relatives as they took out the crisp new bank notes - and carefully pocketed the receipts as souvenirs of the momentous occasion. Lira keeps hold of Italian affections Despite a half-million ATM withdrawals yesterday, few restaurant owners in Italy were ready for the euro. Paddy Agnew reports from Trevignano. Oh no, put those away. Don't try and pay me with those things, for pity's sake. Just pay me in lire". As far as familiarity with Europe's new currency is concerned, the signora at the till in Bar Castagnistill has some way to go. Like many of her compatriots on yesterday's first euro day, she preferred to deal in lire. Even though she has a new cash register complete with two cash flows - one in lire, the other in euro - she was still much relieved when I put away my brand new 10 euro note and pulled out familiar old lire to pay for my cappuccino and cornetto. In these northern Lazio parts at least, the euro was notable more for its absence than its presence yesterday. Walking away from the village bank after successfully claiming a first fistful of euros from the cash dispenser, I was greeted by enthusiastic euro-crusaders out on the search for the new currency, which was otherwise unavailable. Indeed, the euro would appear to have made most impact at ATM machines, since more than half a million euro withdrawals were made successfully in Italy between midnight on New Year's Eve and midday yesterday, according to ABI, the Association of Italian Banks. Down in Naples, however, not everything functioned quite as smoothly as in our village since lengthy queues gathered in front of the only two out of 30 cash dispensers in the city centre which had actually made the change to euro. Despite the rush on cash dispeners, however, the bars, restaurants and petrol stations around us were all still working in lire yesterday. Memmo, who runs an IIP petrol station, pointed out that his self-service distributor will not be converted from lira to euro for at least three weeks. Down at the Cantinella restaurant, staff were at full stretch dealing with a brisk New Year's Day trade of day trippers out from Rome to enjoy the lakeside air on a brilliantly sunny first day of the year. Yet, despite both a full house and the fact that all the bills were made out in euro, no one had actually paid in Europe's new currency. Spaniards take euro in their stride Spain, one of Europe's most enthusiastic member-states, has given a warm welcome to the new currency, writes Jane Walker in Madrid Spain, where the euro has been welcomed with open arms by almost 70 per cent of the people, is one of Europe's most enthusiastic members. Although Spaniards can use the peseta alongside the euro until the end of February, the vast majority are expected to pay with the new currency within a few weeks. It has been estimated that over 70 per cent of euro notes will be distributed by automatic cash machines which are used by the majority of Spaniards. Almost a quarter of the 190,000 cash dispensers in Europe can be found in towns and villages across the country, and an estimated 75 percent of them had been converted by yesterday morning. Taking a walk around the streets near my home in Madrid at midday yesterday I counted seven out of eight cash machines distributing euros to queues of people - many of them armed with their pocket converters. The remainder of the machines are expected to be converted when the banks open for business this morning . One of the early customers at his local cash dispensing machine was the Economy Minister, Rodrigo Rato. He put his card in and withdrew 120 euros before going into a local cafe for a breakfast coffee. But when he paid with a 50 euro bill, he was asked to autograph the note to be framed as a souvenir of a historic day. New Year's Day is a traditional holiday in Spain, with nearly all shops and offices remaining closed. But more than 900 bank offices opened for business for three hours yesterday to meet the demand for the new currency. There were long queues at some of them; many of the customers were the owners of small businesses and taxi-drivers requiring euros to give as change, but many came out of curiosity. "I didn't have anything better to do, so I decided to come along with the kids," said one client in a Madrid bank. The arrival of the euro has caused concern among the many Spaniards who had accumulated millions of pesetas kept hidden from the tax authorities. There has been a big increase in the number of people buying expensive cars and property, much of it paid for in hard cash as a way of spending their black pesetas. First test for euro today By Siobh�n Creaton, Jane O'Sullivan and Eibhir Mulqueen The introduction of euro notes and coins will face its first real test today when people return to work and the major retailers and financial institutions reopen for business after the holiday break. Delays are expected on buses and trains when hundreds of thousands of commuters use the euro for the first time. Passengers can pay their fares in pounds but they will receive change only in the new currency. With the majority of retail outlets and all financial institutions, with the exception of the Central Bank of Ireland, closed for business yesterday, the euro slipped into circulation with relative ease in the Republic. The first euro notes made their appearance here in the early hours of New Year's Day, with cash machines dispensing 10 and 20 euro notes from 6 a.m. By close of business some 80 per cent of cash machines around the Republic were loaded with the new currency. Exhaustive preparations coupled with the Euro Changeover Board's awareness campaign has ensured a smooth transition so far. Shops, pubs and bookmakers found themselves in the front line in dealing with the new currency, and signalled a few glitches and potential problems in the days ahead. The biggest cause of complaint among consumers yesterday was the refusal of some pubs to accept Irish coins. Although pubs were giving customers euro notes and coins instead of their pounds and pence, some were only prepared to change Irish currency notes, declining to accept coins although these remain legal tender until February 9th. The Director of Consumer Affairs, Ms Carmel Foley, said nearly a quarter of all calls to her office related to this issue and it involved pubs all over the State. Ms Foley said she planned to contact the two groups representing publicans, the Licensed Vintners' Association and the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, to seek an explanation. In Limerick, Ms Betty Clancy of Kevin McManus Bookmakers complained about having to do the banks' job. The business had to take a large amount of smaller denomination coins in order to have an adequate supply of 1 and 2 euro coins, she said. She felt the Irish currency should have been withdrawn overnight instead of having a changeover period. "We are doing the banks' job for them. We are converting money for them. It is making it harder for us, slowing down our business," she said. Ms Maria Flynn, the duty manager at Limerick's Glentworth Hotel, felt it was a bad day for banks to be closed because people tended to convert large amounts of cash. "They are handing out �100 or �200 for us to change. It is not as if we are changing the amount they want to buy a drink," she said. The Central Bank of Ireland was the only financial institution to open to the public yesterday. Long queues formed throughout the day to exchange pounds for euro, with some 1,500 transactions completed. A spokesman said most people changed amounts of between �300 and �500, suggesting that most customers who visited the bank did not hold an account at any financial institution. Banks, building societies and post offices will exchange up to �500 in cash in any one transaction free of charge until the pound ceases to become legal tender in February. This service is available to everyone regardless of whether they have a bank account. The Irish Bankers' Federation rejected suggestions that the banks should have opened yesterday, saying staff were working behind closed doors to ensure a smooth transition when they open for business today. Customers are being warned to expect delays and possibly lengthy queues when visiting their local branch. Euro a catalyst for closer union The launch of the euro will exert strong pressure for even further European integration, suggests Denis Staunton The European Central Bank's launch party for the euro in Frankfurt on Monday morning had all the ghastly hallmarks of an official European event. Children from each euro zone member-state were paraded as incarnations of Europe's future while a hapless musical theatre troupe performed a cringe-inducing hymn to the single currency. At around the same time in Brussels, the Commission President, Romano Prodi, and the Economic Affairs Commissioner, Pedro Solbes, were spluttering the usual platitudes about the historic significance of the introduction of euro notes and coins. No amount of ham-fisted stage management could conceal, however, the real importance of the currency changeover as a shift in the process of European integration. As the ECB President, Wim Duisenberg, suggested on Monday, the introduction of the euro will serve as a catalyst for further integration in such fields as economic, defence and foreign policies. Europe's single currency has always had more to do with politics than economics, even if Mr Duisenberg claims that it boosts economic growth and promotes stability. When EU leaders started the process of economic and monetary union at Maastricht in 1991 it was partly in response to German unification the previous year. France was determined that a bigger Germany should lose its dominant economic position in Europe and that the Bundesbank should no longer be able to determine the monetary policy of the entire continent. The historian Emmanuel Todd, who advised both Francois Mitterand and Jacques Chirac, summed up the French attitude to the euro succinctly. "Behind the euro euphoria lay a wish to make Germany disappear as a financial big power - to resolve the German question once and for all," he said. The former German chancellor, Helmut Kohl, believed that political union was essential for the success of economic and monetary union. But as Luxembourg's prime minister, Jean-Claude Juncker - the only surviving head of government who was at Maastricht - recalled this week, Dr Kohl held back from pressing for political reforms. "Germany needed the 11 partner countries then in the union to deal with its own reunification. And the mood within the union was not ripe for a closer brush with integration. 'If Chancellor Kohl had pushed too hard back then on the issue of political integration, some partners would inevitably have got the impression that Germany was so insistent on political union because it did not really want the currency union. "That in turn would have had disastrous consequences for reunification and for how European partners came to feel about it," Mr Juncker said. Mr Juncker acknowledges that economic and monetary union is a highly political project but he argues that the euro alone will not banish the sense of popular alienation from the EU. "I always used to see monetary union as a policy of peace pursued by other means. Today, however, I believe that it alone will not, in the long term, be enough as a ferment or bonding agent for Europe. That is why we need continuing political moves," h e said. The successful launch of euro notes and coins is likely to intensify pressure to co-ordinate economic policies more closely within the EU. The Taoiseach accepts that the issue of tax harmonisation will remain on the European agenda, although he believes it will not become a reality during his political lifetime. It is likely, however, that the present, fairly informal system of consultation about national budgets will become firmer. And France, with the support of the Commission, is pressing for a bigger role for euro zone finance ministers as a counterbalance to the ECB. Perhaps the most significant impact of the euro notes and coins will be on public attitudes to the EU. Like the Schengen Agreement which abolished border controls between most EU states, the euro is a practical manifestation of the usefulness of European integration. It could serve as an antidote to the remoteness of the European institutions while reassuring European citizens that they can take an important step towards sharing responsibility without losing their national identity. This new popular mood will influence the deliberations of a Convention on the Future of Europe that will start meeting in March. The Convention will present ideas to EU leaders on how to make the EU more effective and more democratic, partly through re defining what policy areas are best dealt with in Brussels and what should be left to national governments. The EU's image has suffered in recent years from the corruption allegations that brought down Jacques Santer's Commission in 1999 and Mr Prodi's shambling performance since then. Although many advocates of a strong Commission would like Mr Prodi to step down, he is almost certain to stay in office for another three years. If the Munster MEP, Pat Cox, becomes President of the European Parliament later this month, he will represent a fresh, articulate voice at the heart of European politics. Mr Cox is a profoundly ambitious politician who is determined to lift the profile of the European Parliament, long the Cinderella of European institutions. Any fresh momentum behind European political integration will present headaches for the Government, which is increasingly isolated in Europe. Senior diplomats acknowledge that Britain's new enthusiasm for further integration in such areas as justice and home affairs has taken the Government by surprise. The challenge facing Bertie Ahern and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Cowen, is to harness the new mood created by the euro to fashion an imaginative, reinvigorated policy towards our relationship with Europe. Denis Staunton is European Correspondent of The Irish Times
