arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

If it is possible for you, you should get those euros rather than Belgium francs! I'm sure lots of people in Belgium will accept euros anyway (since they will become valid two weeks after the summit) and you won't have to buy Belgium franks, that's just money that will be useless trash after two weeks and you'll need to change it back into pounds or euros anyway, which only costs you a bunch of extra money and thus makes your bank even more ritch than they already are. If you go to Belgium before those euros are available but you leave Belgium when they are available, and you live in a euro-zone country or you are planned to visit a eurozone country soon, it is definately reccommended to change money into euros in Belgium. Changing Belgium francs into euros is free, while you'll have to pay transaction costs when changing francs into other currencies.
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> From the 14th of December off you'll be able to buy euro packs in the
> Netherlands and France.

In the Netherlands you'll even get one for free (if you live in the NL, that is). So Dutch people can bring their free money to Belgium and thus let that weekend cost them a little less too! :)

Attention!
En Belgique, les media nous serinent que l'euro, quoique disponible sous forme de pièces vers le 14/12, n'aura aucune valeur réelle avant le 1er janvier 2002.
Il est à craindre que la plupart des petits commerçants n'acceptent donc pas de payement en euros pendant Laeken.
Ce qui empêcherait le "touriste-militant" de se payer un sandwich ou un coke pendant le sommet.
Ceci est une pure projection de ce que j'entends autour de moi. Si d'autres ont des infos différentes et plus complètes, elles seront bien sûr bienvenues.
xxx
Michel H

> the media serinent us that the euro, though available in the form of parts
> towards the 14/12, will not have any real value before January 1 2002.

Yes, but any normal thinking person will know that a euro is worth a euro, wheter it will be before or after 1 January.

> It is to be feared that the majority of the small shopkeepers thus do not
> accept a payment in euros during Laeken.

This is what I think will happen:
There will be three forms of salesments: Big stores (like supermarkets and stuff), small stores (snackbars, nightshops, one-man-powered little shops, ...) and small buisiness ran by other activists (like ppl selling sandwiches, drinks, weed and other tasty things). The big stores probably won't accept euros. Just don't go to those shops. Small stores probably will accept euros if a lot of ppl during the Laken summit try to pay with it, or even if you're the only one and you have a very sweet face. :) Anyway, the chance is bigger than in supermarkets. The third group, small sales ran by other activists, there you have the biggest chance of having your euros accepted. By paying in euros you violate the law, which is always a nice thing to do. :) Wether you pay a euro (or a bridge, looking at the pics above) for a sandwich or 40 franks, it's basicly the same. If I would sell those sandwiches, I wouldn't care how you pay for it, as long as I get back what I payed for it to make them.

Moi aussi je suis assez "circonspecte" quant à la possibilté de payer en euro pendant le sommet... En Belgique, comme partout ailleurs en Europe, les pièces et les billets en euro ne seront réellement valables qu'à partir du 1er janvier 2002, donc à part pour des transactions banquaires pas question d'utiliser l'euro avant le 1er janvier... Mais c'est vrai que rien n'empêche les "militants-touristes" d'échanger, à la fin de leur séjour, leurs francs belges contre des euros...