THE ECONOMIC AND MONETARY UNION

Ekonomska i monetarna unija (engleski Economic and Monetary Union, akronim EMU), projekt Europske unije zasnovan na usklađivanju ekonomskih i monetarnih politika država članica radi stvaranja jedinstvenoga monetarnog područja i uvođenja eura kao zajedničke valute. Stvaranje EMU-a predviđeno je Sporazumom o Europskoj uniji (1992; Maastrichtski sporazum), a svoje začetke ima u razvoju Europskoga monetarnog sustava (od 1979) te uvođenju zajedničke valutne obračunske jedinice. Stvaranje EMU-a predviđeno je u tri faze. Prva, od 1990. do 1994., sastojala se od potpune liberalizacije kretanja kapitala i povećanja suradnje između nacionalnih središnjih banaka (uz uporabu ECU-a bez ikakve zapreke). Druga faza, od 1994. do 1998., sastojala se u daljnjem približavanju monetarnih politika pojedinih država, što se nastojalo postići osnivanjem Europskoga monetarnog instituta (od 1999. Europska središnja banka) te koordiniranjem monetarnih politika još uvijek neovisnih središnjih banaka zemalja članica. Treća faza stvaranja EMU-a, od početka 1999., ima za cilj završiti prijelaz u monetarnu uniju uvođenjem eura kao zajedničke valute, te nadnacionalnoga Europskog sustava središnjih banaka, na čelu s Europskom središnjom bankom.The Economic and Monetary Union (English Economic and Monetary Union), a project of the European Union based on the harmonization of the economic and monetary policies of the Member States to create a single monetary area and the introduction of the euro as a common currency. The creation of EMU is envisaged by the Treaty on European Union (1992, Maastricht Treaty), and its inception has been in the development of the European Monetary System since 1979 and the introduction of a common currency unit of account. The creation of EMU is envisaged in three phases. The first, from 1990 to 1994, consisted of full liberalization of capital movements and increased cooperation between national central banks (with the ECU without any obstacles). The second phase, from 1994 to 1998, consisted in the further approximation of the monetary policies of individual countries, which was sought by the establishment of the European Monetary Institute (since 1999, the European Central Bank) and the coordination of monetary policies still independent central banks of member states. The third phase of EMU's creation since the beginning of 1999 aims to complete the transition to the monetary union by introducing the euro as a common currency and the supranational European Central Bank System led by the European Central Bank. In the third stage of the currencies of the member countries irrevocably fix the euro (on the basis of interbank relations in the European Exchange Rate Mechanism on 31 December 1998). The central banks of member states deny the possibility of creating additional reserves, except on the basis of the generated amount of euros, and grant deposit money in euros on the basis of permission, but does not force customers. At the beginning of 2015, in 19 EU member states (out of 28), the euro is the official currency (the so-called Eurozone)