2002-02-28 As I post this, it is already past midnight in Europe and the remainder of the currencies replaced by the Euro are officially dead!
It would be interesting to know how many grams that one pound of silver was equal to that was the basis of the Lira. As we all know, the pound varied so much from place to place, only a clarification in grams would give insight as to how much the lira was intended to weigh. EU CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OPENS IN BRUSSELS The EU Constitutional Convention opened yesterday in Brussels with the objective of writing a new document which will accommodate the union's expansion from 15 to 25 members by 2004. "What is needed is a new Europe with new decision-making tools and new priorities," President of the European Commission Romano Prodi said in an interview with La Stampa. "That the convention is underway alone seems to me a realisation of an impossible dream. Today's discussions mark a momentous occasion," Mr. Prodi added. The convention includes 105 members, six of whom are Italian. Giscard d'Estaing, the former premier of France, is convention chairman. LIRA TO BE SET ASIDE TONIGHT After 54 years of honourable service as Italy's legal tender the lira will be retired at midnight tonight. The lira was approved as the Italian Republic's currency on December 21, 1946, but its origins can be traced back to the 13th century when a common measure of equal value was established during the reign of Charlemagne. The emperor determined that one pound of silver should be equivalent to the value of one lira, which was then subdivided into 240 denari. The lira's existence then weathered 1,000 years of both good times and obscurity until 1861 when it became the official currency of the Kingdom of Italy, and then in 1946 when it was reaffirmed by the Republic. John ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ezra Steinberg" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, 2002-02-28 11:38 Subject: [USMA:18449] Mending the Metric Muddle > Just saw this news item. Perhaps Margarett Beckett can be persuaded to > see the importance of mending the metric muddle by pushing for finishing > the job of converting the UK all the way to metric also? > > Ezra > > > > Britain v France on future of Europe > ------------------------------------ > > The future of the European Union could lead to a showdown between the > British and French governments, after > French minister for Europe, Pierre Moscovici, called for a "profoundly > federal" EU. > > The year-long convention on the future of the EU begins today. > > Germany's finance minister, Hans Eichel, predicted yesterday that > Britain would join the European single > currency "in the not too distant future". > > His comments came as Margaret Beckett, once considered a Eurosceptic, > gave a speech to the "Britain in Europe" > campaign highlighting the importance of the currency to the farming > industry. >
