What has the euro ever done for us? - Future of the eurozone

FOR most of us, the most tangible benefit of the euro is its convenience and the fact that it means we don’t have to go to the bother of going to the bank to exchange currency when travelling in another eurozone country.

It would be sad to think that, after 17 years, this remains its most notable achievement, yet it is hard to ignore that reality. What began as a means of forging greater union among EU member states, enhancing economic, social and political ties of former wartime combatants, has instead fostered ever greater divisions among Europe’s nation states.

It was also meant to spur greater economic growth among those states using the currency but, as figures released over the weekend show, this is still not happening.