Euro increasingly unpopular in core EU countries
Seven out of ten German voters would reject the euro if they were given the chance, a new poll has shown.
Germany never held a referendum on adopting the euro, which became the common currency of 12 European countries on 1 January 2002.
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And the new poll, by the ICM research company in the UK, shows that only 29 percent of Germans would vote to keep the euro if a vote were held today. In contrast, 70 percent would reject the euro, given the opportunity.
Maybe surprisingly, it is younger Germans that are the most eurosceptic, with 73 percent of 18-24 year olds saying they would reject the euro.
Although official figures show that adopting the euro has had no effect on prices, many people blame the new currency for pushing prices up, which has led to the euro's unpopularity.
Worries for the Constitution
The poll also showed that French voters would reject the euro, but by a much more slender margin (approximately 51-49). This has provoked fears that French voters may use a referendum on the Constitution to voice their concerns about the euro.
ICM polled 954 voters in Germany and 957 in France. The poll was conducted for the British eurosceptic tabloid, the Daily Mail.