On 12 July, the European Commission adopted, at the initiative of Commissioner Pedro Solbes, a Communication concerning the introduction of the euro on 1 January 2002 (see EUROPE of Thursday 13 July, p.7). Given the importance that the deadline 1 January 2002 has for the European society and economy and the fact that too few companies - mainly small and medium-sized companies - have begun to prepare for transition to the single currency, we are publishing this Communication in full in our...