The eusko is a

local currency In economics, a local currency is a currency that can be spent in a particular geographical locality at participating organisations. A regional currency is a form of local currency encompassing a larger geographical area, while a community curren ...

released by the "Eusko Moneta erakundea", and it is one of a number of currencies that are active in the Basque Country. It is mainly used in the

Northern Basque Country The French Basque Country, or Northern Basque Country ( eu, Iparralde (), french: Pays basque, es, País Vasco francés) is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitu ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The currency was created on the 31st of January 2013.

Features

The smallest value of the eusko is the one eusko format, so it can not be separated in less than that amount. The eusko has a value that is equal to the euro, so the price of an article can be totally paid in euskos, but if the article doesn't have a round

price A price is the (usually not negative) quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods or services. In some situations, the price of production has a different name. If the product is a "good" in the ...

, the difference will be paid in cents. (Example: if an article costs 3,50

euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

s, it can be paid with 3 euskos and 50 euro cents) Its motto is "Euskoa denen esku", which means "The eusko in the hands of everyone".

Format

The eusko has a note based format that enables the user to trade with values that go from the one eusko note to the twenty eusko note. The appearance of the notes varies according to the value of the note: *The one eusko note is blue, and has an image of a txalaparta on it *The two eusko note is red, and has a scene of a folk dance on it *The five eusko note is grey, and has a countryside scene on it *The ten eusko note is yellow, and has an image of a blackboard with the Basque verbs form "Nor-Nori-Nork" *The twenty eusko note is purple, and has an image of an industrial port that shows some cranes Several security systems protect the notes from forgery, similar to the ones euro has. Those include: *A complex filigree *A heated gold mark *Off set marks for blind people to identify note value

Aims

The aim of the eusko is to encourage the community to buy from local traders. This potentially strengthens the local economy and reduce

ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

damage caused by long

supply chain In commerce, a supply chain is a network of facilities that procure raw materials, transform them into intermediate goods and then final products to customers through a distribution system. It refers to the network of organizations, people, activ ...

s. Additionally, it aims to promote

solidarity ''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dicti ...

History

Predecessors

The idea of the eusko starts when the AMBES (from French ''Association pour la création d’une Monnaie locale Basque, Ecologique et Solidaire'') took the example of another currency that was running in France, and thought that could be profitable and applicable to the Basque country. The choice of the name came up when the AMBES asked citizens to choose a name for their optimal currency.

Getting started

The eusko gave its first steps the 31st of January 2013, with the initial number of 126,500 eusko copies. From the very beginning the eusko was accepted in all the establishments that were associated. According to the creators of the eusko, 310 businesses and enterprises accept the eusko as a form of paying, and the eusko has spread to more than 1500 users. The AMBES said that eusko would have a credit card system in 2015.

References

PAYS BASQUE. Monnaie locale : l’eusko, éthique et utile

L’eusko, la monnaie basque première monnaie locale de France

{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830103628/http://www.liberation.fr/futurs/2014/01/02/a-bayonne-un-eusko-egale-un-euro_970273, date=March 2022

External links

* Official site
Accueil
Basque Currencies introduced in 2013 2013 establishments in Europe Currencies of Europe