Euro - €

The euro (currency sign: €; banking code: EUR) is the currency used by the European states of Austria, Italy, Germany, France, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Portugal and Spain. It can also be referred to as the Euro zone. The euro is the single currency for over 317 million people in Europe.

When you factor in the areas using currencies that are pegged to the euro, the euro affects over 480 million people worldwide, and over €610 billion was in circulation as of December 2006. All EU member states are entitled to join as long as they comply with certain monetary requirements but the currency is not being used in all of the European Union because not all EU members have adopted the currency. Nations that have joined the EU recently are pledged to adopt the euro at some time, but the United Kingdom and Denmark are not obliged to do so. Other small European states, like Monaco, the Vatican and San Marino have adopted the euro due to currency unions with member states even though they are not EU members themselves. Andorra, Montenegro and Kosovo have adopted the euro unilaterally.