Of 10 new-comers in the European Union that joined the Union in 2004, Slovenia is the first to replace its national currency tolar with the EU official currency. As of 1 January 2007, the number of consumers who use the euro every day will increase from 314.5 million to 316.5 million people.
Although the launch of the euro in Slovenia is a small step for the euro zone, this is a great challenge for the Alpine country which is aspiring to be in the vanguard of Euro-integration processes.
Slovene pensioners have been the first to see the advantage of the introduction of the euro. Last week they received monthly pensions, which was two weeks before the scheduled time term.
The Finance Ministry has explained that this was done so that there would not be too much tolar cash in circulation during the last weeks before the currency conversion.
The Ministry notes that the tolar can be used as a means of paying still in the first two weeks in the new year.
Banks, shops and other institutions advise clients and customers not to change their usual habits in the days of the conversion and stress that all the financial institutions and shops have been very well prepared for a smooth changeover. This summer, the European Commission urged the Slovenian authorities, consumer associations and the retail sector to ensure that there are no abuses when prices are converted into euros.
The spokesman for the government said that Slovene Prime Minister Janez Jansa had given about a score of interviews to foreign reporters on this topic in the recent weeks.
Ten foreign television crews have requested the accreditation to cover the launch of the Euro on 1 January.
In mid-January, Slovenia will hold an event called "Euro, Welcome!" and Jansa has invited the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and other EC officials and his counterparts from EU members to attend the event.
Slovenes are looking forward to the euro, believing that its introduction is the confirmation of progress they have made in 15 years since they gained independence from the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
However, they are more and more frequently warned that the adoption of the single European currency is not enough for ensuring the sustainable development.
A former governor of the Slovene national bank, France Arhar, has told the press that it was necessary not to insist on higher increases in salaries and to curb inflation approximately to a two-percent rate prevailing in the European Union.
Arrhar has said that the introduction of the euro would be "a moment of truth" for the Slovenes and their habits and economy.
This summer the European Commission reported on its web site that "the overall perception of the euro has improved in the recently acceded Member States, but many citizens still feel ill-informed about Europe"s single currency and its benefits", according to a Eurobarometer survey conducted in April.
"More than half of the respondents (52 percent) in the new Member States think that the euro will be positive for their country (38 percent in 2005). A total of 48 percent (36 percent in 2005) were also happy, or very happy, about the changeover, the happiest of all being the Slovenians 64 percent while support was lowest in Lithuania (28 percent), the Commission reported.