Public Awareness Campaign

To guarantee that general public in Latvia will receive timely information on the currency changeover it is planned to organize a public awareness campaign within the framework of the National Euro Changeover Plan. Adequate public awareness is a pre-condition to ensure that the changeover from lats to the new currency proceeds in a successful and efficient manner.

Key goal: to facilitate successful process of euro changeover. To that end, each member of the public must receive comprehensive information about the changeover from the lats, the current legal tender, to the euro; practical issues relating to currency exchange; changes in the daily routine of the public connected with the euro changeover and changes in the Latvian monetary policy and the overall national economy.

Within the communication campaign it is planned to disseminate information about the euro changeover process - scenario, basic principles and activities, the euro and lats exchange rate, as well as principles for price re-calculation, security features of the euro cash etc. Under the basic principles of the euro changeover plan particular attention will be paid to inhabitants who are more difficult to reach by means of media.

Along with the public awareness campaign organized by the government, the Bank of Latvia will also take number of measures to inform inhabitants about practical and technical aspects regarding the euro changeover.

The Communication Action Plan consists of three phases:

I phase or introduction period: 24 months before the euro changeover day - six months before the euro changeover day.
Implementation of the euro changeover measures, whose performance does not depend on the euro changeover date, such as a presentation of benefits from the euro in the EU and Latvian to the population, explains results of studies of attitudes towards the euro changeover, provides information on the experience of other countries related to the euro introduction etc.
II phase or intensive period: six months before the euro changeover day - one month after the euro changeover day.
Active provision of information about the money identification signs, security and value of banknotes, price stability, currency exchange rate, possibilities to exchange money, dual circulation period and dual price display period. Emphasis on practical cash and non-cash issues.
III phase or final period: one month after the euro changeover day - 12 months after the euro changeover day.
Evaluation of the euro changeover process, informing the public about the money security measures, mandatory dual price display period etc.

Common Design and Slogan

All institutions involved in the euro changeover communication - both public and private institutions, as well as social partners - will use a common design and a slogan.

The design and slogan competition was launched in the end of 2006. In April, 2007, the winner was announced - a sun with a euro symbol in the middle which seems as drawn by the child's hand, but the slogan is eiro.lv which matches address of the euro changeover Internet portal www.eiro.lv.

Design and Slogan for the Euro Changeover Process

To popularize the euro as a mean of payment and to facilitate public awareness about the process of euro introduction, a single logo and slogan will used throughout the euro introduction campaign.

The logo and slogan for the euro introduction campaign were chosen on the tender basis. The idea of Māris Jansons won the competition.

The central element of the logotype of the author was an image of the sun that seems like drawn by the child, with a euro symbol in the middle, and a slogan - eiro.lv.

To support his intention the artist has underlined that „the main emphasis was put on the reliability and clearness of the logotype. It has been achieved by simple and visually easy to perceive forms and lines. The central element of the logotype is the euro coin that seems like drawn by the child's hand in the middle of the sun, thus showing that the new currency will not cause difficulties and it will be as simply to use as the lats, which is one of the main factors to ensure citizens' confidence."

Download: Communication Strategy for the Euro Changeover in Latvia (December 2010) (PDF, 782.62kb)