January 1, is the traditional effective date for a European Union country to adopt the Euro. The first adoption was on January 1, 1999 by eleven countries, As of now, 20 countries have adopted the Euro and they will be joined by Bulgaria, on January 1, 2026.
Member countries must meet certain conditions known as 'convergence criteria' in order to adopt the euro. The European Council decides whether a country can introduce the euro.
Adoption of the Euro by date
1999 (11): Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.
2001 (1): Greece
2007 (1): Slovenia
2008 (2): Cyprus, Malta
2009 (1): Slovakia
2011 (1): Estonia
2014 (1): Latvia
2015 (1): Lithuania
2023 (1): Croatia
Optout: Denmark
Not yet: Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Sweden
Eric Chan, CC BY-SA 2.5 , via Wikimedia Commons
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