Edited by Laura Van Ruimbeke, Laura LaPlado
It has been twenty years since the euro replaced the franc. A real revolution for the French economy, also for the European economy. But we have one of our neighbors that has always avoided the euro: the United Kingdom. The British have always wanted to keep their differences and their pound sterling, before considering Brexit, to consider leaving the EU.
How do we watch Euros across the channel today? There has never been a referendum on the issue, but all opinion polls since 2000 show it. The British never wanted the euro. Kevin works in real estate in the City of London. He was 15 when the euro was created. “To be honest, I was happy not to get into the euro, because the pound was too strong. It works in my favor, especially for traveling to Europe.”
71% of Britons still don’t want the euro
For others, like Lisa, the fear of separation triumphs in times of crisis. “Now, after Brexit, we are completely isolated from the rest of Europe. We can only depend on our economy and the pound sterling and that makes the situation very difficult,” she continues. “I guess the pound can’t get rich anymore.”
After the 2008 financial crisis, the pound fell. The following year, a BBC poll showed that despite everything, 71 percent of Britons still do not want the euro. The file is definitely closed after the referendum on Brexit. “Now that we are not part of it, I am glad we did not join the euro, because it made it easier to leave the EU,” said one Briton.
Despite the period of crisis, most of the British are celebrating 20 years of the pound sterling’s survival.
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