Der Euro, Unser Geld :: Euro Money Finances Essays

Der Euro, Unser Geld On January 1, 2002, it was the talk of the town, the talk of the world, actually. The Euro – the largest financial creation known to our modern world. Living in Germany during this momentous transition has provided for interesting insight into the Euro’s true impression on the people. Of course, the change from using the deutsch Mark to using the Euro was not the only real impact. It is the deeper financial integration with 11 other countries that permeates and concerns the minds of the Germans. The physical transition of the currency ran very smoothly. Overnight, ATM machines here were fully â€Å"Euro† competent, and bank personnel were trained to handle questions and problems that could arise. Fortunately, with the exchange rate having been locked in at almost 2 (1.95583) Marks to 1 Euro, the math conversion has been relatively simple for the average person. And along with many product prices having been published in both Marks and Euros for several months, most Germans have experienced few problems with the turnover. For a country whose people are said to travel more often outside of their borders than inside, using new bills and coins has not been a chore. From the beginning of October, the government sent heavy Euro advertising around the entire country. Posters were plastered everywhere displaying the new currency, the various adaptations by each country (all coins have a common front, while each country prints its own back), and information on where to go for questions. Advertisements were seen everywhere, boasting â€Å"Der Euro Kommt† (The Euro is coming) or â€Å"Der Euro, Unser Geld† (The Euro, Our Money). Therefore, within the last three months of the Mark’s existence, the atmosphere seemed to be that of excitement. Euro Starter Kits, including the new coins, became publically available in December, giving everyone a chance to both join in on the excitement and also ease themselves into this new step. Now, people are thrilled when they receive a coin printed in Portugal or Holland that has already made its way over to Germany. Naturally, in a capitalist country, many businesses took advantage of the change to sell new products, and in turn, generated more publicity for the Euro. For example, children can now play the beautiful EuroMonopoly, complete with simulation currency and in which buying Water Works now translates into buying the European Parliament and buying streets now translates into buying European countries.