The member states have decided not to create a common currency, as this would mean the loss of some national independence.
It will also set back community plans to create a single currency by 1999, they say.
In particular, they should reconsider their rush to create a single currency by the end of this decade.
Under the broad agreement reached today, the community's first chance to create a single currency will come in 1997.
Will it create a currency that would serve a purpose?
A funny thing happened on the way toward creating a single European currency.
The position taken today did not directly deal with creating either a central bank or a common currency.
They also want slower progress toward creating a single European currency.
Their goal is to create a single currency and central bank by the end of the century.
Well perhaps they should have thought about this 20 years ago when making the political decision to create a currency for such disparate economies.