Getting to grips with the euro

Consumers grapple with the new currency

Day two in the life of the euro. Shops have opened and trading has begun - we report on the currency's inevitable teething problems as it hits the streets and financial markets.

Efforts continue to get people in 12 Euro-zone countries to forget about their old currencies and think in euros.

With businesses opening after the New Year break, the initial fears of long queues and angry scenes in shops appear unfounded.

But there have been teething problems - from the serious - Austria's network of cash points has broken down - to the more trivial - people are finding the new euro notes don't fit into their old wallets.

So, the practicalities of dealing with the new currency are just sinking in. Our correspondent in Brussels, Angus Roxburgh, reports on how people have been getting used to handling the new cash.

'Early days'

Pedro Solbes, the European commissioner responsible for economic and monetary affairs, has been watching these first few days of the euro extremely closely.

He told the programme he was happy with progress so far, including the fixes for various problems reported around the Euro-zone, but it was still early days yet.

Retailers in the 12 Eurozone countries have borne the brunt of dealing with the new currency. We spoke to Thomas Bittenborg, who runs a coffee shop opposite the stock exchange in Frankfurt.

If you or I had to suddenly deal with a new currency, how would we cope? We've heard from the politicians about how well the changeover to the euro has gone, but what has it been like in reality? We got a first hand view from Francoise Sawyer, who lives in the seaside town of Mandelieu in south-eastern France, and her daughter, Veronique Castellani.

Here, economists and businesses are watching the markets for signs of the euro's performance against the pound. Terry Stiastny assessed the mood in the city.

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