On Jan 1st 1999 a new currency was officially born: the Euro.  It was the result of the efforts of most members of the European Union aiming to create a single currency to foster growth in the area, be strong against market storms and cut down on banking costs.  That day the exchange rate with respect to the 11 initial participating currencies was set in stone and the European Central Bank took control.  For three years the Euro remained something untangible, but on Jan 1st 2002 actual coins and notes were circulated and the now obsolete national money retired.

I remember that day when we started to convert our money.  Paying in Lira and getting back change in Euro was a little mess but also fun.  Luckily enough the confusion only lasted for one month and then almost everybody was quickly up to speed doing math with the new coins.  Due to the roundings and the psychological effect there’s been a period of hidden inflation, with prices rounded up but then our economy became stronger and the inflation was kept very low.  People was able to get loans as low as 2.5% interest rate, something unheard of in this part of the world.

Initially the Euro was weak, declining from $1.16 down to $0.82, but soon after that it started a slow but steady recovery that this year culminated in a peak at $1,60.  Even during the current credit crunch crisis, our currency is stable.  Nations like Sweden, Denmark and The United Kingdom chose to stay out of the game to maintain control over their own monetary policy but now they are changing their minds, as they see their currency plunge.  The British Pound in particular is sinking quickly and almost down to parity.  More countries, especially in the Eastern Europe are now trying to join the club and don’t forget the Euro is now popular even in New York.  All in all we can certainly say the Euro delivered.

I’ve never been so happy to live in the Eurozone!

Apple started to sell iPhone in Europe. In Germany the price is €399 for the handset, that is $586! Either they don’t get currency exchange or they think ripping off Europeans is OK. Moreover, on top of that you need a mandatory 24-month subscription plan at €49 a month (100 min/month voice calls). In total it’s €1575 ($2316!).

By comparison, at the same price I can buy a Blackberry Curve 8310 (more feature rich with GPS receiver, SD memory, MMS) and a subscription plan with flat data and 400 min/month voice included. And there’s no 24-month term: I can stop this contract after one month if I don’t like it, and pay just for that.

No wonder few people cared when Apple stores opened in Germany last night…

In 2004 a new European Commission had to be nominated. José Manuel Barroso was going to be the President while Italian Government (back then ruled by President Berlusconi) proposed Rocco Buttiglione for the Justice, Freedom and Security portfolio. Unfortunately, Buttiglione’s view on sex, family and homosexuality was so fundamentalist conservative that after just a couple hearings the Parliament was totally upset with him and the entire Commission was at risk of a rejection (something unheard of). Among others, a remarkable quote:

The family exists in order to allow women to have children and to have the protection of a male who takes care of them.

Italy had to repair the problem, so Buttiglione’s nomination was withdrawn and eventually changed with Franco Frattini.

Now, in three years of being Commissioner, this man:

• asked for a European ban on the “Rule of Rose” adult videogame and was backfired by Commissioner Viviane Reding;
• bowed to the US, authorizing them to gather personal data of European Citizens through SWIFT, a private company based in Belgium, and to retain that data for fifteen years;
• is planning to make illegal every website that contains material useful to terrorists, to make Internet providers responsible for the traffic they convey, and eventually to build a China-like pan-european censorship firewall.

and that’s just what came out after googling 10 minutes.

Guys, as an Italian I am very sorry. Europe deserved a decent Commissioner. Please accept my apologies.

Four thousands kilometers in thirteen days, across Switzerland, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands. It’s been a long and amazing trip, visiting wonderful cities, looking at breathtaking landscapes, having great meals and unfortunately a lot of rain showers. We mostly followed the path of two major central European rivers: Rhine and Meuse. Rhine (Rijn in NL) springs up in Switzerland and flows in the North Sea, traversing Germany and forming a large delta in The Netherlands after a long path of 1320 kilometers. Meuse (Maas in NL) springs up in France and runs 925 kilometers across Luxembourg and Belgium before finally draining in the same delta.

A great deal of history happened along these two rivers and in particular they have big symbolic value for Europe: they delimit the field where France and Germany fought for centuries (including two world wars) but they also merge in The Netherlands thus keeping Europe together. No wonder most of the European and international institutions are in this valley: Strasbourg, Brussels, The Hague. This is also the place where bishops used to be rulers and the Protestant Reformation developed, and the place where many renowned beers are produced.

To complete our tour we visited Geneva (again on a river, this time the Rhone) and the United Nations palace!

I’m posting more pictures and details, stay tuned!

UPDATE: here is the photoalbum