EU mint directors are said to have calculated that around 260,000 tonnes of coins would have been needed if all 15 EU members had joined EMU by January 2002.

If that were the case, according to an official quoted by Reuters, EU countries would mint 30,000 tonnes of one euro cent coins, 27,000 tonnes of twocent coins, 43,000 tonnes of five-cent coins; 36,000 tonnes of 10-cent coins; 30,000 tonnes of 20-cent coins; 40,000 tonnes of 50-cent coins; 31,000 tonnes of one-euro coins; and 21,000 tonnes of two-euro coins.