Filenews 14 January 2026 - by Theano Thiopoulou
The number of countries joining the Eurozone may be increasing, such as Bulgaria, which joined on January 1, 2026, leaving its national currency the lev and joining the euro, but opinions among citizens by Eurozone member state differ after about 20 years on whether the common currency is a good thing for their lives.
A recent Eurobarometer study published in December 2025 showed that some countries strongly support the European currency, others are lukewarm and others express reservations.
The euro was introduced on the world financial markets as an accounting currency on 1 January 1999. After a transitional period of three years, during which the euro was the official currency but existed only as 'accounting money', euro banknotes and coins were adopted and became the official currency on 1 January 2002 in 12 Member States. Slovenia joined in 2007, followed by Cyprus and Malta in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, Estonia in 2011, Latvia in 2014, Lithuania in 2015 and Croatia in 2023.
According to the Eurobarometer survey - carried out among 18,676 telephone interviews (landline and mobile) - in most Eurozone countries the percentage that says the euro is good for their country is lower than the percentage that says the opposite.
Nevertheless, with the exception of Croatia, the majority of respondents in all Eurozone countries believe that the existence of the euro is a good thing for their country, ranging from 60% in Cyprus to 87% in Finland.
If we look at how Cypriots think 17 years after the introduction of the euro in their daily lives, we find that only 60% of respondents see something good from the euro, 29% see something bad, 9% cannot decide and 2% did not answer.
It is important to note that based on the responses, Cyprus is second to last in the ranking behind Croatia in terms of positive opinions about the euro. Support for the European currency is highest in Finland (91%), Lithuania (85%), Slovenia (85%), Slovakia (85%), Ireland (81%), Germany (80%).
There is also the other side of the states, the ones whose citizens are not so friendly to the euro. In Croatia, although it is one of the youngest members of the Eurozone (2023), only 38% of respondents say that the euro is good for their country, a percentage that has decreased by six percentage points since 2024. Most respondents in Croatia state that the introduction of the euro has had a negative impact on prices during the transition period. Support has also fallen significantly in Estonia and Belgium, by 6 and 5 percentage points respectively.
What they say about coins and price comparison
According to the survey, less than half of respondents are in favour of abolishing 1 and 2 cent coins in Spain (43%) and Greece (47%). In the rest of the countries, this percentage ranges between 50% in Cyprus and 85% in Italy.
Compared to October 2024, the percentage of respondents in favour of abolishing the 1 and 2 cent coins has decreased in Belgium (-6 percentage points, to 60%), while it has increased in Lithuania (+9 percentage points, to 78%) and Estonia (+5 percentage points, to 78%).
Around eight out of ten respondents also believe that the euro has made it easier to compare prices and make purchases in different countries. Almost half of respondents in the EU (48%) believe that the euro has reduced bank charges when travelling to different EU countries, while 32% believe that the currency has had no effect on these charges.
