Will new EU countries make their own Euros?

Well, the decision about whether Malta meets the convergence criteria will be made next year, probably in the first half of 2007. Based on the Commission's report, the Council will then agree or not. But currently the outlook is fairly good. Cyprus also aims at joining in 2008.

As for Slovenia, yes, the country picked the "big bang" changeover. In mid-December the starter kits will be available (not that exciting though, since many people in the country are already familiar with the euro coins and notes). Between 1 January and 14-Jan-2007 both SIT and EUR cash will be legal tender (but stores are supposed to primarily give change in euro cash). As from 15 January, the euro will be the sole legal tender. Tolar cash can be exchanged at commercial banks (until 1 March or so), and then at the central bank, with a 10 year redemption period for coins.

Christian

 

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Those might be worth picking up if you can get them though. The starter kits for the first Euro countries are collectible already, and since the Slovinia people probably are already familiar with the Euro the number of Starter sets may be small.

 

While I do (of course ) want to get an Slovenian coin set, I am not into those starter kits. Both the sets and the kits should be fairly easily available though: About 300 million coins were (and maybe are still being) made for the initial supply, and Slovenia has a population of about 2 million.

There will be 450,000 starter kits, and each "costs" 3000 tolars. Such a kit contains 44 coins: 2 x €2, 4 x €1, 4 x 50 ct, 7 x 20 ct, 6 x 10 ct, 6 x 5 ct, 7 x 2 ct, 8 x 1 ct. Total value €12.52 which equals 3000.54 tolars.

For businesses there are 150,000 starter packs, worth about €200 each. The BSI (Slovenian central bank) also sells a coin set at €18.90 (unc); 100,000 of these will be issued.

Christian

 

Of the ten new EU-countries, only Slovenia has been admitted to join the euro-zone in 2007. Slovenia will issue euro's in 2007.

The uniform side of the euro-coins of 10,20,50 eurocents and 1 and 2 euro will also be modified for all the countries in the euro-zone starting 2007. The map will show the 25 member countries.
The 1,2 and 5 cents will stay unmodified.

 

The modified common sides actually show Europe regardless of whether the depicted countries are in the EU or not. (After all, as from 1 January there will be 27 members, and who knows what else is to come later.) Those new maps are primarily geographical, except that Iceland and Turkey are not shown and the position of Cyprus had to be moved a little so that it would fit on the coins.

The text from the EU Official Journal, with relatively small images:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/c_225/c_22520060919en00070008.pdf
(PDF, about 3 MB)

Larger (I mean b i g ) images of the common sides, from the Slovenian euro info site:
10 cent: http://www.evro.si/o-evru/skupna-stran-evrskih-kovancev/img/10-cent.jpg
20 cent: http://www.evro.si/o-evru/skupna-stran-evrskih-kovancev/img/20-cent.jpg
50 cent: http://www.evro.si/o-evru/skupna-stran-evrskih-kovancev/img/50-cent.jpg
1 euro: http://www.evro.si/o-evru/skupna-stran-evrskih-kovancev/img/1-euro.jpg
2 euro: http://www.evro.si/o-evru/skupna-stran-evrskih-kovancev/img/2-euro.jpg

Christian