The Euro was indeed rushed into being at the insistence of the French. The Berlin wall had been demolished in late 1989 and the French were utterly petrified that a united Germany and the subsequent industrial capacity would dominate the EUSSR or at the least cause the value of the Franc to find it's true level, which was about half what it was trading for. They were looking at Sterling on one flank and the Deutschmark on the other. Look back, and realise that the Euro was cooked up to save the French from bankruptcy. Instead every other EUSSR slave Nation has paid the price for them(Greece, Italy, anyone) and we had people in the UK, who were right up to the last minute and, including our Prime Ministers and senior MPs who wanted us to commit slow suicide with them. A ponzi scheme no better than a chain letter when judged by any accurate and sensible fiscal analysis.