People in the euro zone are less concerned about the weakness of the currency than they were last autumn, but more are worried that the introduction of euro notes and coins will mean higher prices. That was the conclusion of a poll conducted for the European Commission, details of which were published yesterday. It found 52 per cent of respondents felt they were well informed about the changeover, due to start on January 1st, 2002, and 61 per cent feared businesses would use it to raise prices, up from 53 per cent who believed that in March 2000.

In contrast, 44 per cent expressed concern about the exchange rate, down from 57 per cent in a similar poll last November. The EC surveys public opinion on the euro every two months.