Museum of the National Bank of Belgium

Since 1 January 2002, Belgium has been using a common currency now shared by eighteen other countries: the euro. The historical event marked by that date is an integral part of the history of European integration. It is thanks to the will of a few forward-looking statesmen from different countries with visions of peace and unity that the idea of a European Union could be taken forward to actually become a reality and ultimately lead to the single currency. In this month’s “Spotlight”, we take a closer look at Belgian figureheads who have played key roles – to a greater or lesser extent – in both the process of European integration and the establishment of the euro.