France

This information will be updated periodically but it also includes some materials, for example the dual circulation periods, which are no longer relevant but have been retained for reference purposes. The date that this information was last updated is at the bottom of the page.

French Government euro web site:
www.euro.gouv.fr (FR) (Some EN pages)

www.euro-institut.org (EN available)

Pricing

Banking

Business Preparations

Retail

Accounting

Public Sector

General Public

Information Activities

Other Links and Sources

Pricing

Consumer Prices
The following table shows the annual percentage change on the same month in the previous year.

*on previous year

Source: HICP

Banking

Retail banks exchanged francs for euro free of charge and without limit for their customers until 17 February 2002. Retail banks will continue to exchange French francs for euros until 30 June 2002 and Banque de France branches will exchange franc/centime coins for 3 years and franc notes for 10 years.

French central bank at:
www.banque-france.fr (EN pages)

Commercial banks:
Association Française des Banques (AFB):
www.afb.fr/
Fédération Bancaire Française (FBF):
www.euro.fbf.fr/
Fédération Française des Sociétés d'Assurance (FFSA):
www.ffsa.fr

Business Preparations

The percentage of SMEs who had changed over to euro on 1 January 2002 for:

	accounting systems	95 per cent
	prices	98 per cent
	invoicing	96 per cent
	computer systems and IT	77 per cent

Overall SMEs considered that the changeover to the euro:

	had been easier or much easier than they planned	31 per cent
	proceeded as they planned	65 per cent
	had been more difficult than expected	4 per cent

21 per cent of SME's had encountered practical difficulties when changing over to the euro.

When converting prices from national currency to the euro the percentage of SMEs who had:

	converted prices some upwards and some downwards	24 per cent
	converted prices on a neutral basis	50 per cent
	converted prices upwards	17 per cent
	converted prices downwards	7 per cent

EB Eurobarometer Survey EB122

Assemblée des Chambres Françaises de Commerce et d'Industrie:
www.acfci.cci.fr/euro
Mouvement des entreprises de France (MEDEF):
www.medef.fr/euro/
Conseil supérieur de l'ordre des experts comptables:
www.experts-comptables.org
www.euro-expert.com
Confédération Générale des petites et moyennes entreprises (CGPME):
www.cgpme.org
Institut National pour la retraite active (INRAC):
www.inrac.net

Retail

Large retailers' preparations were advanced. Many French retailers co-operated with the French government to maintain price stability by voluntary agreement to fix prices over the cash changeover period.

Fédération des entreprises du commerce et de la distribution at:
www.fcd.asso.fr

Accounting

Some SMEs run their financial years from June to June. Those that had not converted by June 2001 will have to retrospectively adjust their accounts from francs to euro on 1 January 2002.

Public sector

Legislation: On rounding in June and September 2001. Four decrees passed February 2001 adjusting 200 amounts relating to taxation, finance, insurance, tariffs and duties, consumer protection and savings. A special decree appeared on 3 June 2001 to simplify arrangements for converting capital into euros. All remaining thresholds and amounts were to be converted by 1 October 2001.

General Public

	80 per cent felt that the introduction of the euro went well or fairly well.
	72 per cent felt that the changeover to the euro went without any difficulties or with some temporary difficulties for them personally and 70 per cent for everyone.
	47 per cent said that they found it easy to remember prices in euro, 44 per cent compare prices in euro and 64 per cent to understand bills in euro.
	88 per cent thought that dual pricing of goods was essential or fairly useful.
	For dual pricing in shops:

	11 per cent thought that prices when converted to euro had either not been rounded or had been rounded down.
	When asked which organisations had helped the most.
	37 per cent thought the media
	20 per cent thought shops and other retailers
	36 per cent thought the banks
	6 per cent thought consumer or other representative groups
	32 per cent thought family and friends

Information Activities

Other Links and Sources

European Commission:
www.europa.eu.int/index_en.htm (all EU languages for most documents)

European Central Bank:
www.ecb.int (All EU languages for most documents)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Embassy site:
www.amb-grandebretagne.fr/

For information for travellers, including business travellers, click here to see the joint FCO/HMT/DTI Government leaflet "Euro notes and coins and how they will affect you" on this site.

Sources:

ECSR European Commission Second Report: 10 October 2001
Second report on the preparations for the introduction of euro notes and coins
EB Eurobarometer survey E121 January 2002
http://europa.eu.int/euro/html/dossiers/00716/00716-en.pdf
HICP. Harmonised Indices of Consumer Prices. Eurostat February 2002.
http://europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat/
EB Special Eurobarometer 171- May 2002 http://europa.eu.int/comm/public_opinion/archives/eb/ebs_171_tables_en.pdf