Definition: EMU

(Economic and Monetary Union) The consolidation of European currencies into one monetary unit called the "euro," which phased in on January 1, 1999. Accounting systems that dealt with the currencies of the participating countries had to deal with both native and euro values. On January 1, 2002, euro notes and coins were made available, with national currencies withdrawn by March 1 of that year. Public and private companies spent more than $150 billion (USD equivalent) modifying their information systems. As of January 1, 2015, the following countries use the euro:


Austria
Belgium
Cyprus
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Portugal
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain