First day of the Euro currency in the country



1. Wide of National Bank of slovenia 2. Sign outside bank 3. Man changing money in bank 4. Man picking up euros 5. Bank teller counting out euros 6. Man picking up euros 7. Man and woman at bank counter 8. Man at bank counter in background, Slovenian and European flags in foreground 9. Poster explaining the exchange rate 10. Pan from woman at bank counter to bank teller 11. Bank teller counting out euros 12. Woman taking euros 13. Wide of posters explaining currency change 14. Wide of main square 15. Ljubljana flag on top of building 16. Wide of town 17. Slovenian, Ljubljana and European flags on building 18. People in street 19. Wide of caf� 20. People sitting in caf� 21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Andre, Resident of Ljubljana: "The Euro in Slovenia is definitely cool because it's nice to have a common currency, strong currency, so I just paid for me first coffee, yes with tolars but I got euros back so I like it." 22. People in caf� 23. SOUNDBITE: (English) Matejaz, Resident of Ljubljana: "I also think euro is a good thing for Slovenia. We live near the border with Austria so a common currency can be useful. It's a strong currency, we are happy to have it." 24. People paying for drinks (AUDIO: Music) 25. Close-up of person's hands as they hand over coins to pay 26. Man paying for drinks 27. poster comparing prices in tolars and euros 28. Woman in caf� 29. Various of people in shop paying for goods in euros 30. Shop assistant taking tolars from woman in payment but giving change in euros 31. Close-up of till draw with euros in 32. Man paying for goods in shop 33. Wide of people walking into shop, poster in shop window explaining euros STORYLINE: Slovenia adopted the Euro on Monday, becoming the thirteenth EU (European Union) nation to use the single European currency. The Slovene tolar and the euro will be in dual use until January 15, when the euro will officially take over as the country's sole legal tender. Prime Minister Janez Jansa called the switch the biggest national achievement since the tiny Alpine country of two (m) million joined the EU in 2004. Slovenia, a former Yugoslav republic, is the only one of the ten nations that joined at that time to have fulfilled the rigorous economic criteria needed to join the euro zone. More than two-thirds of the country's cash machines were fully operating in euros by late morning, while gas stations and highway toll booths switched immediately as the New Year kicked off. There were no reports of any glitches. A recent EU survey showed more than 70 percent of Slovenes happy to embrace the euro, with many saying they see it as further proof they are part of mainstream Europe. Andre, a resident of Slovenia's capital Ljubljana, said it was "cool" that his country had changed to the euro. "It's nice to have a common currency, strong currency," Andre said. "I just paid for me first coffee, yes with tolars but I got euros back," he added. Matejaz, who also lives in Ljubljana, agreed that changing to the euro would be good for Slovenia. "We live near the border with Austria so a common currency can be useful," Matejaz said. Slovenes adopted the currency at a rate of 239.640 tolars to one euro as of January 1. To preserve its national identity in the uniform euro zone, Slovenia used its right to display its national symbols on the euro coins it mints in the country. Only 20 years ago, Slovenia was a communist republic with annual inflation running up to 1,500 percent; now inflation is 1.9 percent, lower than Germany's. Its economic growth was four percent last year, well above the EU's average of 1.4 percent. The addition of Slovenia expands the euro zone to a population of 316.6 (m) million. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/f260bccd8f452c0a269bd085a986923a Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

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