Capitals, Currencies and Flags: Europe

You can't think about European currencies without considering the Eurozone.

The Eurozone consists of those members of the EU that have adopted the Euro as their sole legal tender.

This page separates those countries that are in the EU and the Eurozone, and those that aren't ... and those (such as the United Kingdom, for the time being at least) that are in one but not the other.

It also shows the former currencies of the countries that use the euro.

EU and Eurozone

On 1 January 2015, Lithuania became the 19th member of the Eurozone.

Country		Capital	Joined EU		Previous currency	Joined Eurozone	Flag
Austria		Vienna	1995		shilling	1999
Belgium		Brussels	1952		franc	1999
Croatia		Zagreb	2013		kuna	2023
Cyprus		Nicosia	2004		pound	2008
Estonia		Tallin	2004		kroon	2011
Finland		Helsinki	1995		markka or Finnmark	1999
France		Paris	1952		franc	1999
Germany		Berlin	1952		mark	1999
Greece		Athens	1981		drachma	2001
Ireland (Republic of)		Dublin	1973		punt	1999
Italy		Rome	1952		lira	1999
Latvia		Riga	2004		lats	2014
Lithuania		Vilnius	2004		litas	2015
Luxembourg		Luxembourg	1952		franc	1999
Malta		Valletta	2004		lira	2008
Netherlands		The Hague	1952		gulden or guilder	1999
Portugal		Lisbon	1986		escudo	1999
Slovakia		Bratislava	2004		koruna	2009
Slovenia		Ljubljana	2004		tolar	2007
Spain		Madrid	1986		peseta	1999

Non-EU countries that use the Euro

The following six countries are not members of the EU (and therefore cannot be members of the Eurozone) but have adopted the euro:

Country		Capital		Previous currency	Joined Eurozone	Flag
Andorra		Andorra la Vella		French franc, peseta	1999
Kosovo		Pristina		German mark	2002
Monaco		Monte Carlo		Monegasque franc	2002
Montenegro		Podgorica		German mark	2002
San Marino		San Marino		Sammarinese lira	1999
Vatican City		Vatican City		Vatican lira	1999

EU countries that don't use the Euro

The following seven countries are members of the EU but have not (yet) adopted the euro:

Country		Capital	Joined EU		Currency	Notes	Flag
Bulgaria		Sofia	2007		lev
Czech Republic		Prague	2004		koruna
Denmark		Copenhagen	1973		krone	has a formal opt-out
Hungary		Budapest	2004		forint
Poland		Warsaw	2004		zloty
Romania		Bucharest	2007		leu
Sweden		Stockholm	1995		krona

According to Wikipedia (April 2023), the six new EU members (the seven above, less Denmark) are all obliged to join the Eurozone in the future, but they have a long–standing claim that the Eurozone has changed since they signed the accession treaty and this may invalidate their obligation. The EU "has so far not tried to enforce any time plan."

Other European countries

The following sixteen European countries are not members of the EU and have not (yet) adopted the euro:

Country		Capital		Currency	Flag
Albania		Tirana		lek
Armenia		Yerevan		dram
Azerbaijan		Baku		manat
Belarus		Minsk		Belarusian ruble
Bosnia and Herzegovina		Sarajevo		Convertible mark
FYR Macedonia		Skopje		denar
Georgia		Tbilisi		lari
Iceland		Reykjavik		krona
Liechtenstein		Vaduz		Swiss franc
Moldova		Chisinau		leu
Norway		Oslo		krone
Russia		Moscow		rouble (1 rouble = 100 kopecks)
Serbia		Belgrade		dinar
Switzerland		Berne		franc
Ukraine		Kiev		hryvnia
United Kingdom		London		pound (sterling)

© Haydn Thompson 2017–23