Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/229731
News maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 18 DECEMBER 2013 61% of Maltese mentally refer to old currency Five years after its adoption, 62% of Maltese think that the euro was a good thing for the country JAMES DEBONO 61% of the Maltese still mentally convert prices in euro to the old Maltese currency when making exceptional purchases like buying a house or a car, according to a survey conducted among 502 respondents by Eurobarometer in October. Although the Maltese are still the most likely out of the 17 eurozone member states to mentally refer to the old currency when making exceptional purchases, the percentage of Maltese who do so has fallen by 5 points since 2011. Moreover, 24%, down from 28% in 2011 still mentally convert the price in euro to the old currency when making day-to-day shopping. A Eurobarometer survey conducted in October found that the majority of respondents in four countries are still reliant on their former currency when purchasing exceptional items: Malta (61%), Slovakia (57%), Belgium (55%) and Spain (51%). This compares to just 7% in Ireland. The survey also shows that five years after its adoption, 62% of Maltese think that the euro was a good thing for the country. A majority of respondents in each eurozone member state consider the euro to be a good thing for the EU. Opinion is particularly positive in Ireland (77%), with seven in ten or more respondents in Luxembourg (72%), Finland, Spain and Malta (all 71%) and Germany (70%) saying that the euro is a good thing for the EU. 83% of Maltese also consider using euro notes as very easy. But 98% of Maltese would like to abolish the 1 cent coin while 91% would abolish the 2 cents coin. The Maltese are keener on abolishing these coins than residents in other member states, 89% of which would like to abolish the 1 cent coin and 83% of which would like abolish the 2 cents coin. Respondents living in Malta (38%), Ireland (35%) and Italy (33%) are the most likely to say that the euro makes them feel more European. On the other hand, respondents in Greece (14%) and the Netherlands (16%) are the least likely to say the euro has made them feel more Eu- ropean. More than three in five respondents in Malta (69%) and in Finland (62%) respondents agree that the euro has a positive effect on the cost and ease of travelling. The survey also shows that Malta is the only country where a majority of respondents (60%) think that the euro has reduced banking charges when travelling in other EU countries. In contrast, 45% of respondents in France think that the euro has not reduced these banking charges. In every country in the euro area, two in three or more respondents say that the euro has made it easier to compare prices when travelling in different EU countries. More than nine in ten respondents in Ireland (91%) say this, as do 85% of Maltese respondents. At the other end of the scale, just two in three respondents in Slovakia (65%), Estonia (66%) and France (66%) say that the euro has made it easier to compare prices when travelling in different EU countries. Ingram t, Valletta Republic Stree urts next to the Co