Thread by @matthieu_hebert

As the euro has just turned 20, this is the perfect time to watch the great documentary by @Annalisap @ARTEfr which tells the long and winding road of the € in a very clear, concise & clever way. Lots of good anecdotes too. My top 5 🧵

arte.tv/fr/videos/0839…

1/ When Romano Prodi asks Helmut Kohl why he wants the euro against many of his backers and Kohl replies « I want the euro because my brother died in the war. »

2/ When Jacques Chirac is asked by a journalist why he is giving a press conference with the Italian PM since Italy might not be in the 1st batch of countries adopting the euro and Chirac replies: « Monsieur, il n’y a pas d’Europe sans l’Italie ».

3/ When Gordon Brown announces the list of the first countries recommended by the Council to join the euro area as « the beginning of a new era for Europe ».

4/ When Theo Waigel tests ‘franc’ as the name for the common currency, soon to be rejected by Spain as ‘franco’ would have been unacceptable.

5/ When enthusiast Chinese leaders ask if they would be able to buy euros as reserve currency while Alan Greenspan sees the chances of success for the euro at “zero or below zero”.

Many more on the origins, crises and success of the euro in the film #DieEuroStory #Lepopeedeleuro

On #EUROat20 🎉 check also @ecfin website: europa.eu/euroat20/