Half of EU citizens outside the euro area think the single currency ‘would have a positive effect’

Just over half (52%) of citizens living in EU member states that are yet to adopt the euro currency believe that it will have ‘positive consequences’ for their country, while 44% believe it will have a negative effect.

According to the Eurobarometer survey, which was conducted in member states yet to adopt the single currency, around three fifths (59%) feel ‘informed’ about the euro, while 40% say that they do not feel informed.

‘Personally in favour’

Some 55% said that they are ‘personally in favour’ of the idea of introducing the euro in their country, while 87% said that they have personal experience of using euro notes and coins in the past.

When asked about their ability to adapt to a potential currency change, more than four fifths (83%) of respondents expressed confidence in their capacity to manage the transition from their national currency to the euro, with the highest percentages recorded in Hungary, Sweden and Romania.

Recent adopters

The most recent EU member state to adopt the euro was Croatia, which joined on 1 January 2023. Prior to that, Lithuania (in January 2015) and Latvia (in January 2014) were the most recent euro adopters.

‘The adoption of the euro is a requirement of EU membership, and all Member States must adopt the common currency once they have satisfied the necessary criteria defined in the Maastricht Treaty (with the exception of Denmark, which has an opt-out from these Treaty provisions),’ Eurobarometer noted. ‘There is no fixed timetable for the introduction of the euro, but the Treaty does require countries to join the euro area at a certain point.’

The findings were collected via telephone interviews undertaken in March 2025 and published in June 2025. Countries covered in the survey include Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Sweden. Read more here.