Laure Van Ruymbeke, edited by Laura Laplaud 12:12 p.m., December 31, 2021

It has been twenty years since the euro replaced the franc. A real revolution for the French economy, for the European economy as well. But there is one of our neighbors who has always shunned the euro: the United Kingdom. Before even considering Brexit, considering leaving the European Union, the British have always wanted to keep their differences and their pound sterling.

How do we view the euro across the Channel today?

There has never been a referendum on the issue, but all opinion polls show it since 2000. The British never wanted the euro.

Kevin works in real estate in the City of London.

He was 15 when the euro was created.

"To be honest, I was happy not to join the euro, because the pound was much stronger. It works in my favor in that sense, especially for travel to Europe."

71% of Britons still don't want the euro

For others, like Lisa, the fear of isolation in times of crisis wins out.

"Now, after Brexit, we are completely isolated from the rest of Europe. We can only depend on our own economy and the pound sterling and that makes the situation very difficult," she blows.

"I think the pound sterling can no longer prosper."

>> 

READ ALSO

- Twenty years of the euro: five (surprising) things to know about the European currency

After the 2008 financial crisis, the pound plummeted.

The following year, a BBC poll showed that despite everything, 71% of Britons still do not want the euro.

The file is definitively closed following the referendum on Brexit.

"Now that we are no longer part of it, I am glad we did not join the euro, because that made it easier to leave the European Union," said a Briton. 

Despite periods of crisis, the majority of the British are celebrating 20 years of the survival of the pound sterling.