I’ve lived around Germany for twenty-odd years and observed the EU gimmick.
First, it has been a blessing on border crossing. On a Sunday evening returning from some other country....you used to wait 30 to 60 minutes to get up and have your passport reviewed. Now, you are driving 100 mph through the border point (well, at least in Germany).
Second, this money deal is another blessing. I don’t have to keep jars of French money, Dutch money, Swiss money, Spanish money, etc.
Third, truckers criss-cross Europe now and deliver products without any restrictions.
But, the crowd in Brussels got around to literally hundreds of little things to force various countries into a stance.
If you went to a Greek restaurant in Germany....there were these containers with a cork, and various olive oils for your food. The EU decided that they wanted to force a standardized bottle system (no cork) and you’d have to have these mini-containers around to dispense the olive oil for your foods. It was opening up this vast gimmick of specialized bottles and someone was going to make a ton of money over something that was stupid. Somehow, they stopped that idea.
The real problem is that these guys at the EU...probably ought to be limited there for sixty days out of the year...forcing them to go home and avoid lots of stupid legislation.
Thanks for your face to face review of the EU. This helps us in America understand what the system is truly like.
The thing is I’m from America and have traveled the world on business. Everywhere I’ve gone my credit card was accepted - I never dealt with local currency except for a few bucks worth of pocket change.
I don’t understand the need for one currency.
“Second, this money deal is another blessing. I don’t have to keep jars of French money, Dutch money, Swiss money, Spanish money, etc.”
The EU and the Eurozone are two different things, at least in principle. Britain is, for now, in the EU, but not on the Euro. Same for Sweden. I suppose you could have it the other way ‘round, with a country on the Euro but not in the EU.
The Euro is great for us travelers and for transnational businesses in Europe, but its “one size fits all” monetary policy has obviously created economic havoc for some countries on the Euro.