Learning Activity

Aired September 16, 2003

Sweden, still reeling from the stabbing death of Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, has rejected a proposal to adopt the euro currency. Learn about the pros and cons of adopting the euro.

Inform students that on January 2, 2002, 12 European Union (EU) nations adopted the euro currency. Direct student to the links below to learn about the history of the EU and the role of the euro in promoting European unity.

After students share their findings, divide your class into 12 groups and assign each group one of the following EU member nations that have adopted the euro: Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland. Have groups conduct research to learn about the economic and political pros and cons of adopting the euro from the perspective of their assigned countries. Instruct groups to appoint representatives to deliver their findings in the form of a mock summit. List the pros and cons of adopting the euro on the board. Conclude the summit by having students discuss whether the benefits of adopting the euro outweigh the drawbacks.

Correlated Standards

National Council for the Social Studies

VII. Production, Distribution and Consumption: Students will learn about how people organize for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

The Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/ ) are published by the National Council for Social Studies (http://ncss.org/).

National Council on Economic Education

Standard 5 : Gain from Trade

Voluntary exchange occurs only when all participating parties expect to gain. This is true for trade among individuals or organizations within a nation, and usually among individuals or organizations in different nations.

Standard 20 : Monetary and Fiscal Policy

Federal government budgetary policy and the Federal Reserve System's monetary policy influence the overall levels of employment, output, and prices.

The Economics America National Standards (http://www.ncee.net/ea/standards/) are published by the National Council on Economic Education (http://www.ncee.net/).

Related Links

CNN.com: Sweden rejects euro currency (http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/09/14/sweden.euro/index.html)

The Euro (http://www.euro.ecb.int/en.html)

Euro Information (http://www.euro.gov.uk/home.asp?f=1)

The European Commission: Information on the Euro (http://europa.eu.int/euro/entry.html)

Introducing the Euro (http://www.oanda.com/site/euro.shtml)

Keywords

Sweden, euro, European Monetary Union, currency, Anna Lindh, integration