In pictures: Coming of the euro

As bells chime in the New Year, Europeans are shedding their trusty francs and marks for the new coins and banknotes of a common currency, the euro.

France has lit one of its finest bridges, the Pont Neuf, with the symbol of the euro

No prizes for guessing the theme of the fancy-dress party Ireland threw in its capital

Italian revellers have been seeing off their much-maligned lira with party hats bearing the euro sign

Britain has stayed out of the euro, but the euro is coming to Britain's bureaux de change

The euro is making itself felt far beyond EU borders

Germans surrendered their D-Mark for the euro after much soul-searching

The first to use the notes were in French territory in the Indian ocean