NEWSLETTER ISSN 1027-930X FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION NUMBER 19 / EN - 2001-2 uro In thjs issue ι citizens' euro Euro Trophies Euro Trophies awarded to five proactive firms han "simplifies the euro" for customers and staff The Euro Trophies - which are organised by the Association for the Monetary Union of Europe (AMUE) and hice for shopkeepers-, do not telay in seizing the opportunity supported by the European Commission - have been f to prepare for the euro awarded to five firms which developed innovative CD-ROM for very small firms approaches in preparing for the euro. In the field Change of notes and coins: situation by country ! euro and Member States hmunication plans of I euro-area Member States Pedro Solbes, ι the field Europciin Commissioner for economic and STEPl: A new tool for cross-border monetary affairs, on the ' transfers of small euro amounts occasion of the award of the Euro Trophies: The ECB lays down the principles "These exemplary for frontloading banknotes outside approaches, ­which the euro area have heen widely disseminated, can help The Catholic Church in Portugal is other SMEs in cooperating with the National Euro implementing their Commission euro plans. " They were established by the AMUE in part­ Several thousand firms took an interest in this nership with the European Federation of event, which was managed on the relevant Accountants and IBM and, with the support of Internet site. The greater number of entries from the European Commission, are awarded to France, Germany and the Netherlands is due to firms which have adopted an exemplary­ the fact that similar events had been held at approach in their switchover to the single cur­ national level. From the 79 entries finally selected, rency. The experience of those firms can then 20 were submitted to a European jury composed be used to encourage and assist others in of representatives of the European Commission, preparing for the euro. The aim here is the Association for the Monetary Union of twofold: to raise the awareness of European Europe, the European Federation of Accountants SMEs regarding the benefits of effective prepa­ and IBM. The jurv met on 9 November in ration and to identify good practices which can Brussels to select the award­winning firms. Under be useful for them. Many SMEs have not yet the regulations governing the event five SMEs are made serious preparations for the changeover honoured, one from each category: manufactur­ Internet Site to the euro. They are waiting until the last ing, commerce, tourism and leisure, transport and http://europa.eu.int/euro/ minute and at the risk of having to act hastily at services and, finally, craft firms and one­man busi­ the end of 2001 and of missing out on the nesses. The professionals who assisted the firms, advantages of proper administrative, business especially financial institutions and the Euro Info and financial preparations. Centres, also received awards. ( >■ 2) Information Programme for the European Citizen The Citizens'euro r> /; The five winning firms Commercial firm: Ben Vroklage Fashion, Bussimi, Netherlands Tourism industry firm: Figi, Zeist, Netherlands One-man business: City Sensors, Massy, Frunce Sei-vice company: Schwingel Automaten, Dorsten, Germany Manufacturing company: Newmec, Monza, Italy The Euro Trophies: the five winners Ben Vroklage Fashion (Netherlands) its customers, it has earned die image of a top-of-the- Supported by: ABN/AMRO Bank range firm. Its main supplier also works in euros, and This medium- to top-of-the-range clothing store for this enables it to avoid die foreign exchange commis• men and women is developing a partnership based on sions charged by banks. City Sensors has also opened trust with more than 4 000 customers, who automat• a second euro account to take advantage of competi• ically receive a 5% bonus with each purchase. The tion between banks and thus to benefit from more transaction is carried out with the aid of an electron• favourable rates. All internal transactions have been ic card and till which make it possible to send carried out fully in euros since 1 January 2000. The regularly to each customer a voucher which can be set staff, who are paid in euros, have been familiar with against the next purchase. Since the beginning of this die currency since 1998. year, the card and voucher - which are issued every two months - have been denominated in euros. The Schwingel Automaten (Germany) customers were advised of this transaction by letter in Supported by: Zenit GmbH/Euro Info Centre and December 2000. The finn has now gone even fur• Bundesverband Automatenunternehmer E. V. ther: price labels and receipts are printed in euros, (a trade federation) plastic bags and envelopes show euro notes and coins, This firm specialises in vending machines and is and the shop window also highlights the euro. The clearly vety well placed to meet die challenge of the tills and other equipment are readv for the euro even euro. It has drawn up an inventory of all the applica• now in order to avoid excessively high costs. tions with a view to studying their compatibility widi the euro. It was dierefore able to ascertain quickly Figi (Netherlands) which machines could not be adapted. In connection Supported by: Deloitte & Touche and Rabobank with die purchase of new equipment, top priority has This firm, which is active in the hotel business, long been given to compatibility, and this has enabled catering, theatres, cinemas and the tourist industry, the firm to cut expenditure and avoid unnecessary is a pioneer of the euro. Back in 1996 it already had investment. The workforce was trained at a very early dual-price displays based on the presumed value of stage to use the euro, in particular with die assistance the future currency! One year later, it introduced of a euro team working on die basis of a checklist. the virtual euro in its various businesses as a means An in-depth analysis of the impact of die euro also of payment; this boosted public awareness in both made it possible to acquire suitable new software. the Netherlands and abroad and led to an increase Even if some work remains to be done, the firm con• in sales. At the same time, the company has dis• siders diat diis dynamic approach to die euro has seminated its experience widely, to the extent of enabled it to increase its competitiveness, which is encouraging other firms to follow its example and due, among other things, to the ability to work on a develop a common synergy based on the euro. project management basis. These communication and training efforts have been continued in 2001 in relation to both busi• Newmec (Italy) ness-to-business transactions and consumers. Supported by: Banca Intesa Internally, Figi has chosen to introduce the euro in This company manufactures microprocessors and has stages with a view to familiarising all of its staff been using die euro for all its transactions since with use of the euro. A conference on the opportu• January 1999. As it works widi many customers and nities created by the euro will be organised at suppliers throughout Europe, diis option has enabled the end of 2 001. it to eliminate die exchange-rate risk and reduce bank charges. The firm has, however, been obliged to con• City Sensors (France) tinue using the lira in its own country because its Supported by: Banque Société Générale and Banque private-sector partners in Italy and die public are not Populaire BICS yet ready for the euro. Technically, the microproces• This high-tech SME works in the field of industrial sors are adapted for die euro, and diis will ensure a pressure sensors. It exports 33% of its output. smooth changeover when the euro becomes die only The firm took the plunge very early as regards using currency in circulation. Newmec is considered by its the euro and, as a result, it is now more competitive partners to be a vanguard company and it believes and able to devote all its efforts to other challenges, that this proactive preparation will very soon show up ¡ufa nu nti on Programme particularly commercial ones. By using the euro with in improved competitiveness. for ¡he fin rop c n n Citizen ~T\EN Ίβ citizens' euro »■""Jl-l Ίι.-..'l I Qu'e«l-ce qui Mt le plu· cher : un Utre <!· lalt à 4 F. ou ur>» baguette a 0.62 euro l (ou 62 cent«}. R c «sr Ρ*·* *">" w«*'· a 6.5 f yi¿/c/?a/7 "simplifies the euro" fori mers "Following a brisk launch on 1 Janna ty 1999, which was who pay in euros ­far from it. In September 2000 there preceded hy intensive preparations, our shops attached new were exactly 4 618 of them in the 118 hypennarkets. labels with prices in euros and they accepted the first pay­ However, what is astonishing is that one of them registered ments in euros. An intensive communication campaign a figure of I 836 during that period. " was earned out for several months. There was a great deal of curiosity and then nothing marc. Until then, for What was the reason for this? It can be found in most of us the euro had, as it were, ceased to be a daily con­ the enthusiasm of the personnel of this hypermar­ 41 - SIMPLE QUESTION cai!. And yet " ket, which is located in Faches Thumesnil in Northern France. In February 1999 the personnel It was widi diis realistic finding diat die Auchan dis­ initiated drives and various awareness campaigns tribution group, which has a presence in five of the for both customers and staff.