Economic and monetary union EMU and the euro: strategy of communication and information up to 2002

In a working document, the Commission provides an update on the intitiatives that it has taken regarding information with a view to preparing citizens and businesses for the euro. The Commission recalls that in the context of the information campaign 'The euro, one currency for Europe' launched as part of the PRINCE Programme, the Commission established bilateral partnerships with the Member States, the main purpose of which is the conclusion of agreements between the Commission and the national governments that seek to encourage and co-finance communication actions in the Member States concerning the euro. In 1999, the Commission signed 13 agreements in total with the eleven countries in the euro area, plus Greece and Sweden, for a total budget of 204 billion euros. This document then goes on to outline the information producrs on the euro prepared by the Commission for citizens and consumers: publications for the general public and educational institutions, internet site, CD-ROM, groups of external conference speakers, demonstration stands, videos, two-monthly newsletter, etc. The Commission has compiled a list of actions, already under way or to come, for the preparation of businesses for the euro: actions undertaken by the Euro Info Centres, preparation kits for companies, calls for proposals in the area of training on the euro, seminars, meetings and conferences, surveys on the use of the euro, use of the regional press, contribution to the Expo 2000 in Hanover, preparation of a guide for tourists, round table in Brussels. The document mentions initiatives such as Euro Made Easy and a range of other European pilot projects that have been co-funded by the Commission since 1997 and the purpose of which is to create information and training tools, in order to facilitate the transition to the euro for the most vulnerable sectors of the population: those in economic or social difficulty, the elderly, the blind or visually impaired, the deaf and hard-of-hearing, the mentally handicapped.�