Citizens in 12 of the European Union's 15 member states are greeting their new stamps in single face value of euro after the euro banknotes and coins start to replace national currencies from the beginning of 2002.
As national currencies in the 12 euro zone countries switch over to the euro, new stamps in the single currency area have also to be denominated in euro.
The first Spanish stamps in euro bear the logo of the Spanish EU Presidency and were presented by the prime minister of Spain, Jose Maria Aznar. The prime minister, who was in Brussels on Sunday for his country to take over EU presidency from Belgium, has said the post office made contributions to not only those stamps but also other activities such as the distribution of the first common European coins to the 4,000 Spanish municipalities, which do not have any bank branches.
The first Austrian euro stamps were printed in 200 million copies showing motives from Austria as a holiday country. Old schilling stamps can be used or changed into euro stamps until the end of next June.
In Ireland, customers have been asked to use their pound-denominated stamps as soon as possible in 2002. However, these stamps will be valid for use until December 31, 2002.
As stamps remain national even during the time of the euro, Finland rules that only its own stamps will be accepted as postage. The first euro-denominated Finnish stamps to be issued on January 1 will have the national characteristics as their main theme, picturing the modern Finnish heraldic lion and the Finnish flag.
In Belgium, a long queue of stamp collectors is expected outside the general post office near Brussels on January 1 to snap up the first batch of Belgian euro stamps. During the euro transitional period between January 1999 and December 2001, all stamps issued in Belgium have dual prices in Belgian francs and the euro.
For euro zone citizens, the full euro changeover will usher in anew era of commonly used single currency in an ever closer Europe Union, but they will keep their national characteristics and cultural heritage in a united Europe, observers hold.
(Xinhua News Agency December 31, 2001)
