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A monetary union is when two or more countries use the same currency, eliminating exchange rates but sacrificing autonomy in currency decisions. The European Monetary Union is a notable example, with the euro as its currency.
A monetary union refers to the practice of two or more sovereign countries using the same unit of currency. In other words, countries do not have a unit of currency specific to their country and can only be used within that country. The advantage of a monetary union, of which the most famous recent example is the European Monetary Union, is that it eliminates exchange rates between countries using the same currency. Conversely, the downside is that any country involved loses the autonomy to make currency decisions that may be needed to help its economy.
All companies have to devise a currency system, which is how products are measured against each other in terms of value. It serves as the basis for transactions and is usually devised by the state or country itself, like the United States dollar. There are, however, examples throughout history of different societies uniting under a common currency. When this happens, a monetary union forms, meaning that all sovereign states within it are united by one currency.
In recent years, the most high-profile example has been the creation of the European Monetary Union, or EMU, in 1999. EMU established the euro as the general mode of currency in its member states, first in virtual form in 1999, to be followed by notes and coins issued in 2002. In the past those countries involved in EMU had used their own individual forms of currency, but they switched to the euro for all transactions, both within their own country and with other EMU members.
The ability to trade with other member states and not have to worry about currency values is one of the main advantages of a monetary union, which is also sometimes referred to as a monetary union. For example, when the US trades with Japan, it has to worry about the value of the Japanese yen (JPY), just as Japan has to worry about the US dollar (USD). In an arrangement like EMU, exchange rates are unnecessary, which means that governments within the union do not have to hedge against the decline of some foreign currencies.
Autonomy with respect to currency decisions is sacrificed when a country joins such a union, which is a crucial consideration that must be made. For example, if Italy, a member of the EMU, wanted to raise its exchange rate to help solve the country’s manufacturing problems, it couldn’t do it on its own. It would have to deal with the problem from the whole of the EMU, which would then act as a group only if the other members saw fit.
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