One year on: what we think

“I am now used to the euro, I thought I would struggle to adapt with using a new currency but it was easier than I thought. It tool me a while to get used to the dual pricing and when I was asked how must a shave cost I would say it in pounds and I was a bit slow in giving customers change in euros” Marios Theodorou, 62, Nicosia barber.

Myrto, a 24 year old barmaid from Larnaca also took some time to adjust to the new currency, “I used the conversion calculator for the first couple of months but then I didn’t need it anymore”

“I miss the pound because it was part of our identity. Now with the euro we are just like any other European. I used to be against the euro but now I’ve changed my mind. With my job I travel to Europe a lot and now I don’t have to exchange money and that is great!” Andreas Chrysanthou, 38, civil servant.

“There’s no doubt that our life has become slightly more expensive, for example all the things that used to cost ?1 like parking your car or renting a DVD now cost €2 so it’s more expensive. Also we used to have our own currency now we have a currency imposed by others so our national pride has been hurt, apart from that we are grown used to it.” Stathis Pierides, 58, architect.

“The euro was a logical next step. By simplifying tourism and cross-border trade, it helps European economies grow.” Renos Eleftheriou, offshore company employee.

“Our customers can get very annoyed when they have to deal with the one and two-cent coins. They stress everybody out. They are a waste of time and many customers don’t even accept them as change. They leave them behind.” Stella Andreou, 30, mini-market employee, Engomi.

“I like the euro and I am glad that we are using it, but in particular it shows how expensive prices really are in Cyprus because the comparison to other Euro zone countries is clearer now.” Claudia, 34, freelance copywriter, Nicosia

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.