Brussels, 04/04/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission adopted, on Tuesday, a Communication that shows a mitigated assessment on the preparations for the introduction of Euro notes and coins and proposes an example of twenty good practices (see EUROPE of 3 April), such as moving forward the beginning of the sales or distributing calculators for returning change.
First contrast, the companies are, globally ready, but the SMEs must still be the object of an information effort. The same applies to consumers, still insufficiently concerned by the changeover. The national administrations, as a whole, ready, but are invited to adopt a more voluntarist approach aiming to create a lead-on effect in the economy as a whole. The role of engine of the banks is underlined, even if an urgent effort is required to progress in the formation on a Euro payment area. The European executive undertakes, among others, to use all the means possible to ensure that the costs of cross border operations is closer to those of national operations on 1 January 2002. The Commission notes, moreover, a general implementation by the Member States of measures put forward in its recommendation of 28 October 2001. This concerns, among others, the changeover to the third quarter 201 of bank accounts and written payments (with the exception of Ireland), the free exchange of notes and coins into Euro (with the exception of Austrian and Ireland) or even the making available of sufficient quantities of small notes by the cash machines as of the first days of 2002.
The twenty good practices are divided into two groups of ten series of examples. One applicable before 1 January 2002, the other after the date of the introduction of the Euro. In the first group there are information and encouragement measures, such as the distribution to small business of conversion tools and calculators for returning change, the distribution of coin kits, measures to lower to value of national notes present in the cash machines in the last days of December, the organisation of simultaneous payment operations in Euro. The second group includes measures accelerating the transition, such as moving forward the date for the beginning of the sales, authorise the destruction of national notes. Create pre-calibrate tools for returning national coins, opened all or part of the banking counters on 1 January 2002, adapt as soon as possible the cash machines to the Euro. Extend the opening of bank counters.