Which European Union Member States have adopted the European single currency – the euro?
Twelve of the 15 European Union Member States have adopted the euro. Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland adopted the euro from the outset, i.e. from 1 January 1999, while Greece joined the euro zone on 1 January 2001. In May 1998, when the decision was taken on who should adopt the euro, Greece had not met the convergence criteria (standards of economic performance for joining the Monetary Union). However, in June 2000, the European Summit in Santa Maria da Feira decided that Greece can join as it has since achieved significant progress towards meeting the criteria.
