Euro, Introduced With Flourish, Gets Little Celebration at Its 10-Year Mark

Michel Prieur, a numismatist, called the euro's design sterile.

BERLIN — When the euro was introduced just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2002, celebratory fireworks exploded above the European Central Bank  headquarters in Frankfurt. The historic bridge the Pont Neuf in Paris was lit up in European Union  blue with 12 rays of light to symbolize the 12 nations circulating the euro — as people in those countries lined up at A.T.M.’s to get their hands on new bills that would be daily reminders of the project of European integration and unity.
Ten years later, the word “euro” in a headline is usually paired with the word “crisis.” Instead of hosting celebrations for the 10-year anniversary, policy makers appear to be staying as quiet as possible, as if hoping not to upset the brief calm that has come with the holiday season after European central bankers injected nearly $640 billion into the European banking system in December.
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