The changeover to the euro in Slovakia is reported to be proceeding as smoothly as when Malta adopted the single currency last year.
According to the European Commission, which is monitoring the changeover on a daily basis, by the end of last Saturday, three days following the change, some 27 per cent of payments in shops were already made in euro and virtually all customers were getting their change in the currency now shared by nearly 329 million Europeans, including some 5.4 million Slovaks.
According to the Commission no major problems were oencountered in banks or in retail sector.
At the beginning of this year Slovakia became the 16th EU country to adopt the euro. An official ceremony welcoming the euro will be held today in Bratislava which will be attended by many EU leaders including Malta's Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.
Yesterday, the EU executive said that so far the changeover is progressing steadily with nearly half of citizens polled saying they had mostly euro in their wallets at close of business on Saturday. Forty four per cent said they had only or mostly euro banknotes and 48 per cent had only or mostly euro coins.
Early indications also show the number of cash payments in euro increasing at shops last Monday, from 27 per cent on Saturday, as shops increasingly give change in Europe's common currency and the koruna is progressively withdrawn.
By Saturday, all banks had successfully finalised the conversion of their IT systems and around a third of bank branches stayed open at the weekend to offer a currency exchange service.
Retailers were also coping well with the changeover process especially as people were only slowly coming back from holidays.
There were some reports of queues at some shops, but the Slovaks were generally patient and welcomed the European currency with enthusiasm. Supplies of euro cash to shops and retrievals of koruna cash to the central bank were proceeding smoothly.
Possible abuses are also being checked.
According to the Commission, the Slovak Trade Inspection is closely ensuring that the changeover rules are respected and prices are properly converted. Out of 203 shops and service provider outlets controlled on the first two days of the changeover, inspectors identified only three major problems.
According to the European Commission, which is monitoring the changeover on a daily basis, by the end of last Saturday, three days following the change, some 27 per cent of payments in shops were already made in euro and virtually all customers were getting their change in the currency now shared by nearly 329 million Europeans, including some 5.4 million Slovaks.
According to the Commission no major problems were oencountered in banks or in retail sector.
At the beginning of this year Slovakia became the 16th EU country to adopt the euro. An official ceremony welcoming the euro will be held today in Bratislava which will be attended by many EU leaders including Malta's Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.
Yesterday, the EU executive said that so far the changeover is progressing steadily with nearly half of citizens polled saying they had mostly euro in their wallets at close of business on Saturday. Forty four per cent said they had only or mostly euro banknotes and 48 per cent had only or mostly euro coins.
Early indications also show the number of cash payments in euro increasing at shops last Monday, from 27 per cent on Saturday, as shops increasingly give change in Europe's common currency and the koruna is progressively withdrawn.
By Saturday, all banks had successfully finalised the conversion of their IT systems and around a third of bank branches stayed open at the weekend to offer a currency exchange service.
Retailers were also coping well with the changeover process especially as people were only slowly coming back from holidays.
There were some reports of queues at some shops, but the Slovaks were generally patient and welcomed the European currency with enthusiasm. Supplies of euro cash to shops and retrievals of koruna cash to the central bank were proceeding smoothly.
Possible abuses are also being checked.
According to the Commission, the Slovak Trade Inspection is closely ensuring that the changeover rules are respected and prices are properly converted. Out of 203 shops and service provider outlets controlled on the first two days of the changeover, inspectors identified only three major problems.