The single currency has delivered very significant benefits for the euro area – that is the union of 20 member states ranging from giants like Germany and France to smaller nations like Latvia and Lithuania. "About 70 per cent of European citizens think the euro is a good thing and brings positive benefits.” But it has not been an easy ride. The European economy, particularly in the euro area, has been beset with many difficult challenges. Over the short life of the currency its member states have had to contend with the Global Financial Crisis in 2007-2008, followed quickly by the debt crisis which ran from ... (full story)