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	<title>Latest topics from “News &amp; Announcements”</title>
	<description>Latest topics from forum “News &amp; Announcements” on “The Euro Information Website Forum”.</description>
	<link>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewforum.php?f=3</link>
	<atom:link href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/generate_feed.php?content=topics&amp;f%5B%5D=3" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:16:10 -0400</lastBuildDate>

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			<dc:creator>theeuro</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:55:46 -0400</pubDate>
			<guid>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=949</guid>
			<link>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=949</link>
			<title>Luxembourg 2010 2 Euro Comm.</title>
			<description><![CDATA[Luxembourg has announced the subject for the 2010 €2 Commemorative Issue:<br />
<br />
Arms of the Grand Duchy.<br />
<br />
No image is yet available.<br />
<br />
Please stay in close touch for more information.<br />
<br />
----------<br><br><span style="background-color:#FFFF00; color:red;">This topic is locked. Please reply to the normal post. <a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=75&amp;t=948">Post a reply here</a>.]]></description>
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			<dc:creator>theeuro</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:08:59 -0400</pubDate>
			<guid>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=946</guid>
			<link>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=946</link>
			<title>20 Aug 2009- Slovakia 2009 2 Euro Comm.- Official release</title>
			<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.c2e/2e.2009.00.slovakia.htm" class="postlink">The Euro- €2 Commemorative Design 2009- Slovakia</a><br />
<br />
Official release, including description and image by the EU.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.c2e/2e.2009.00.slovakia.htm" class="postlink"><img src="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/images/coins.c2e/2009.00.sla.jpg" alt="2009 Slovakia 2 Euro Commemorative issue"></a><br />
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----------<br><br><span style="background-color:#FFFF00; color:red;">This topic is locked. Please reply to the normal post. <a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=81&amp;t=944">Post a reply here</a>.]]></description>
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			<dc:creator>theeuro</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:07:03 -0400</pubDate>
			<guid>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=947</guid>
			<link>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=947</link>
			<title>20 Aug 2009- Italy 2009 2 Euro Comm.- Official release</title>
			<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.c2e/2e.2009.00.italy.htm" class="postlink">The Euro- €2 Commemorative Design 2009- Italy</a><br />
<br />
Official release, including description and image by the EU.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.c2e/2e.2009.00.italy.htm" class="postlink"><img src="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/images/coins.c2e/2009.00.itl.jpg" alt="2009 Italy 2 Euro Commemorative issue"></a><br />
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----------<br><br><span style="background-color:#FFFF00; color:red;">This topic is locked. Please reply to the normal post. <a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=74&amp;t=943">Post a reply here</a>.]]></description>
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			<dc:creator>theeuro</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:02:24 -0400</pubDate>
			<guid>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=945</guid>
			<link>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=945</link>
			<title>20 Aug 2009- Belgium 2009 2 Euro Comm.- Official release</title>
			<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.c2e/2e.2009.00.belgium.htm" class="postlink">The Euro- €2 Commemorative Design 2009- Belgium</a><br />
<br />
Official release, including description and image by the EU.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.c2e/2e.2009.00.belgium.htm" class="postlink"><img src="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/images/coins.c2e/2009.00.bel.jpg" alt="2009 Belgium 2 Euro Commemorative issue"></a><br />
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			<dc:creator>theeuro</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:16:08 -0400</pubDate>
			<guid>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=925</guid>
			<link>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=925</link>
			<title>Finland 2009 2 Euro Comm.- New image</title>
			<description><![CDATA[The Finnish Ministry of Finance has just released this new image of the Finnish 2009 €2 Commemorative issue.<br />
<br />
See the Website page for further details:<br />
<a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.c2e/2e.2009.00.finland.htm" class="postlink">The Euro Information Website- €2 Commemorative Design 2009- Finland</a><br />
<br />
Production: 1,600,000<br />
Date of Issue: 1 October 2009<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.c2e/2e.2009.00.finlad.htm" class="postlink"><img src="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/images/coins.c2e/2009.00.fin.jpg" alt="2009 Finland 2 Euro Commemorative issue"></a><br />
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----------<br><br><span style="background-color:#FFFF00; color:red;">This topic is locked. Please reply to the normal post. <a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&amp;t=924">Post a reply here</a>.]]></description>
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			<dc:creator>theeuro</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:58:42 -0400</pubDate>
			<guid>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=923</guid>
			<link>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=923</link>
			<title>One Year of the Forum!</title>
			<description><![CDATA[Today marks the 1 year anniversary of the Euro Information Website Forum. Many thanks to the  amazing team of Global Moderators and the <span style="font-weight: bold">1,102,094</span> visitors to the forum.<br />
<br />
 <img src="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/images/smilies/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />]]></description>
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			<dc:creator>theeuro</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2009 01:55:56 -0400</pubDate>
			<guid>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=690</guid>
			<link>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=690</link>
			<title>Mid-year rumors 2009</title>
			<description><![CDATA[The rumor mill usually churns out quite a bit during this time of year. The following few issues are <span style="font-weight: bold">*rumored*</span> to be on schedule for release...<br />
<br />
<ul>Malta €2 Euro Commemorative- 2009</ul><ul>Monaco €2 Euro Commemorative 2009</ul><ul>France €2 Euro Commemorative 2010</ul><br />
I might add that these are rumors only. Anything outside of an official announcement or issue by the ECB is pure speculation.<br />
<br />
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			<dc:creator>theeuro</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:39:37 -0400</pubDate>
			<guid>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=688</guid>
			<link>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=688</link>
			<title>Iceland's parliament votes to join EU</title>
			<description><![CDATA[<span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="font-weight: bold">Iceland's parliament votes to join EU</span></span><br />
<br />
By Gudjon Helgason and Meera Selva, Associated Press<br />
<br />
16 July 17:51 UTC<br />
<br />
REYKJAVIK, Iceland – Iceland's parliament voted by a narrow margin Thursday to apply for membership in the European Union, moving to relinquish some of the recession-hit country's cherished independence in the name of stability.<br />
<br />
In a fiercely debated motion, members of Iceland's parliament, the Althingi, voted 33-28 to start membership talks with the EU. Two lawmakers abstained.<br />
<br />
Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir said the vote was a historic moment that &quot;will have a great and beneficial impact on the future of this nation.&quot;<br />
<br />
Icelanders have always fiercely defended their independence, and been wary of transferring political power to the European Union's center in Brussels.<br />
<br />
Until last year it seemed this tiny, independent-minded nation, whose 320,000 people are mostly descended from Viking settlers, could thrive on its own.<br />
<br />
Financial deregulation, a stock market boom and a surging krona helped Icelandic entrepreneurs go on a global buying spree, snapping up businesses from Britain's Hamleys toy store to the Karen Millen clothing chain. Iceland's banks drew depositors from around the world with too-good-to-be-true savings rates.<br />
<br />
Then the global financial crisis hit, and Iceland became one of the earliest casualties. The over-stretched banks collapsed under the weight of debt amassed during the years of light regulation and retailers went bankrupt. The country's currency, the krona, has plummeted, while unemployment and inflation have spiraled.<br />
<br />
Thousands of Icelanders held angry protests against the pro-business government, clattering pots and kitchen utensils in what some have called the &quot;Saucepan Revolution.&quot; The government was forced to resign and was replaced after a national election by a coalition of Sigurdardottir's pro-European Social Democrats and the Left Greens.<br />
<br />
The disaster has forced Icelanders to consider seeking the shelter, and restrictions, of membership in the EU and possibly the euro currency, which would provide a more stable exchange rate and lower interest rates.<br />
<br />
Sigurdardottir has said she wants to submit a membership application to the EU by the end of the month, although a final decision to join the 27-nation bloc would need approval by Icelanders in a referendum. The EU would also have to approve the addition.<br />
<br />
European Union officials are enthusiastic about Iceland's vote, and European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said the decision &quot;is a sign of the vitality of the European project and indicative of the hope that Europe represents.&quot;<br />
<br />
But Iceland's government will have to work hard to persuade the population to support it in a referendum.<br />
<br />
&quot;There has been a taboo in the past to talk about transferring power from Reykjavik to Brussels, and from Althingi to any international organization,&quot; said Baldur Thorhallsson, professor of political science at the University of Iceland. &quot;To convince people (about EU membership) the debate is now going to have to focus on the euro and how the Icelandic economy will receive much faster on joining the EU.&quot;<br />
<br />
Iceland is already part of the European Economic Area, a trading block that gives Icelanders the right to live and work in the EU while allowing the country to run its own agricultural, fishing and monetary policies.<br />
<br />
Full EU membership will hit Iceland's fishing industry, one of the few sectors to have survived the financial crash and a symbol of national pride. If Iceland joined the EU it would likely have to sign up to its common fisheries policy and allow other European fishermen access to its waters.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="font-style: italic">Helgason reported from Reykjavik. Selva reported from London.</span></span><br />
<br />
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			<dc:creator>theeuro</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:37:00 -0400</pubDate>
			<guid>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=680</guid>
			<link>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=680</link>
			<title>New National Design: Spain 2010</title>
			<description><![CDATA[<blockquote><div><cite>European Commission Economic and Financial Affairs wrote:</cite>In 2010, Spain will revise the design of its national sides in order to comply with the common guidelines recommended by the European Commission, as endorsed by the Council conclusions of 10 February 2009. The new national sides will continue to bear the same effigy of His Majesty King Juan Carlos I, but the date of issuance will now feature in the inner part of the coin, together with the mintmark and the name of the issuing country. The twelve stars in the outer ring will now be depicted as on the European flag, with no raised section around them.<br />
<br />
Coins from previous years featuring the old design will nevertheless remain valid.</div></blockquote><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.nat/spain.s02.htm" class="postlink">The Euro- National Euro Coin Design- Spain Series 2</a><br />
<br />
<table><tr><td style="padding:4px;vertical-align:top;text-align:left"><img src="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/images/coins.nat/spain.s02/sm/200.jpg" alt="Spain_Series_2_2.00"></td><td style="padding:4px;vertical-align:top;text-align:left"><img src="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/images/coins.nat/spain.s02/sm/050.jpg" alt="Spain_Series_2_0.50"></td><td style="padding:4px;vertical-align:top;text-align:left"><img src="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/images/coins.nat/spain.s02/sm/005.jpg" alt="Spain_Series_2_0.05"></td></tr></table><br />
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<span style="color: red"><span style="background-color: #FFFF00;">This topic is locked. Please post reply <a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&amp;t=679" class="postlink">here</a>.</span></span>]]></description>
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			<item>
			<dc:creator>theeuro</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:16:10 -0400</pubDate>
			<guid>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=678</guid>
			<link>http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&amp;t=678</link>
			<title>Slovenia 2010 2 Euro Comm.- New image</title>
			<description><![CDATA[New image of the Slovene 2010 €2 Commemorative issue.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.c2e/2e.2010.00.slovenia.htm" class="postlink">The Euro Information Website- €2 Commemorative Design 2010- Slovenia</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.c2e/2e.2010.00.slovenia.htm" class="postlink"><img src="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/images/coins.c2e/2010.00.sle.jpg" alt="2010 Slovenia 2 Euro Commemorative issue"></a><br />
<br />
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<span style="color: red"><span style="background-color: #FFFF00;">Please post replies in the forum topic located <a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=84&amp;t=677" class="postlink">here</a>.</span></span>]]></description>
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