The official euro sign () is based on the Greek letter epsilon (), which symbolizes the cradle of European

civilization. Also the sign is similar to the letter E, the first letter of the word 'Europe'. The two parallel lines represent the stability of the euro. It is a graphic symbol used also by other major international currencies such the US dollar ($), the Japanese yen () and the pound sterling (). A symbol for Europe Inspiration for the symbol itself came from the Greek epsilon () a reference to the cradle of European civilization and the first letter of the word Europe, crossed by two parallel lines to certify the stability of the euro. The euro symbol was created by the European Commission according to three criteria:

that it should be a highly recognizable symbol of Europe that it should have a visual link with existing well-known currency symbols that it should be aesthetically pleasing and easy to write by hand.

The copyright for the euro symbol belongs to the European Community, represented by the European Commission, which encourages its use as a currency designator in a wide sense. However, the Commission is opposed to the registration of the symbol as part of a trademark, since this could restrict the appropriate use of the euro symbol by other parties. Notwithstanding this general principle, where logos containing the euro symbol are sufficiently creative and different from the official euro symbol, the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trademarks and Designs) has, on occasion, agreed to register these as trademarks. The success of the euro as a currency worldwide owes a small debt to the unique and memorable symbol of the currency. People and organizations are encouraged to use the name and symbol to spread the word, so to speak in their day-to-day business. The euro 'rules' The Heads of State and Government meeting in Madrid in 1995 chose the name euro as it symbolizes Europe. There are certain rules on the use of the term 'euro':

The name of the single currency must be the same in all the official languages of the EU, taking into account the different alphabets. This is to ensure consistency and to avoid confusion in the single market. In all EU legal texts, the nominative singular spelling must be 'euro' in all languages ('' in Greek alphabet; '' in Cyrillic alphabet). Plural forms and declensions are accepted as long as they do not change the 'eur-' root.

In documents other than EU legal texts, including national legislation, other spellings are accepted according to the various grammatical rules used in each language. The definition of the name cent (in Greek, ''; in Bulgarian ' ') does not prevent the use of variants of this term in common usage in the Member States. The ISO code for the euro is EUR, to be used with figures referring to amounts in euro when the euro symbol is not used.

On many computers the euro symbol can be obtained with the <ctrl>+<alt>+e keystrokes. The term euro area is the official term in English for the group of countries that have adopted the euro as their single currency. All other terms, such as euroland and eurozone, are discouraged in the official language style guide. G8: The Group of Eight (G8) is a forum for the governments of eight of the world's largest economies. The forum originated with a 1975 summit hosted by France that brought together representatives of six governments: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, thus leading to the name Group of Six or G6. The summit became known as the Group of Seven or G7 the following year with the addition ofCanada. In 1997, Russia was added to group which then became known as the G8.[1] The European Union is represented within the G8 but cannot host or chair summits.[2] "G8" can refer to the member states in aggregate or to the annual summit meeting of the G8 heads of government. The former term, G6, is now frequently applied to the six most populous countries within the European Union. G8 ministers also meet throughout the year, such as the G7/8 finance ministers (who meet four times a year), G8 foreign ministers, or G8 environment ministers. Collectively, the G8 nations comprise 53.0% of global nominal GDP and 42.5% of global GDP (PPP). Each calendar year, the responsibility of hosting the G8 rotates through the member states in the following order: France, United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada. The holder of the presidency sets the agenda, hosts the summit for that year, and determines which ministerial meetings will take place. Lately, both France and the United Kingdom have expressed a desire to expand the group to include five developing countries, referred to as the Outreach Five (O5) or the Plus Five: Brazil, People's Republic of China, India, Mexico, and South Africa. These countries have participated as guests in previous meetings, which are sometimes called G8+5. With the G-20 major economies growing in stature since the 2008 Washington summit, world leaders from the group announced at their Pittsburgh summit on September 25, 2009, that the group will replace the G8 as the main economic council of wealthy nations.

Member facts All eight of the G8 countries are amongst the thirteen top-ranked leading export countries.[46] Six of the G8 countries are among the top 10 with the largest gold reserves (USA, Germany, Italy, France, Russia and Japan.) Some of the world's 18 largest major stock exchanges by traded value and market capitalization are in G8 countries (U.S., Japan, UK, Canada, Germany, Russia.) G8 countries are represented in the top eleven economies (by nominal GDP) of the world, according to latest (2010 data) International Monetary Fund's statistics. Also, five countries of the G8 have nominal GDP per capita above US$40,000 (USA, Canada, Japan, France, Germany), from the same 2010 IMF data. However, only four of the G8 nations have a sovereign wealth fund, administered by either a national or a state/provincial government (Russia, USA, France, Canada).[47] Along with that, the G8 are ranked in the top thirty of nations with large amounts of foreign-exchange reserves in their central banks. The G8 nations also have some of the world's largest, most technologically advanced, and most powerful militaries. Four of the G8 nations have nuclear weapons in operation (France, Russia, UK, USA),[48][49] three others have the capability to rapidly produce nuclear warheads (Canada, Germany, Japan), and some have nuclear weapons sharing programs (Canada, Germany, Italy). A few of the world's 10 largest oil producers (Russia, USA, and Canada) and the countries with the third and eighth largest oil reserves (Canada and Russia respectively) are in the G8. Seven of the nine largest nuclear energy producers are in the G8 (USA, France, Japan, Russia, Germany, Canada, UK), even though Germany will wean itself from nuclear power by 2022. The 7 largest donors to the UN budget for the 2011 annual fiscal year are in the G8 (U.S., Japan, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Canada.) The G8 and the BRIC countries makes up almost all of the 15-nation "trillion dollar club of nations." All of the G8 and G8+5 countries (minus South Africa) are in the top twenty nations that are ranked by the amount of voting power and special drawing rights (SDRs) in the IMF organization. What is the G8? The G7/8 Summit has consistently dealt with macroeconomic management, international trade, and relations with developing countries. Questions of East-West economic relations, energy, and terrorism have also been of recurrent concern. From this initial foundation the summit agenda has broadened considerably to include microeconomic issues such as employment and the information highway, transnational issues such as the environment, crime and drugs, and a host of political-security issues ranging from human rights through regional security to arms control. The responsibility of host rotates throughout the summit cycle at the end of the calendar year, as follows: France, United States, United Kingdom, Russia (as of 2006), Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada. Throughout the year, the leaders' personal representatives known as sherpas meet regularly to discuss the agenda and monitor progress. In addition, the G7/8 has developed a network of supporting ministerial meetings, which allow ministers to meet regularly throughout the year in order to continue the work set out

at each summit; these include the meetings of the finance ministers, foreign ministers and environment ministers, among others. G7/8 ministers and officials also meet on an ad hoc basis to deal with pressing issues, such a terrorism, energy, and development; from time to time the leaders also create task forces or working groups to focus intensively on certain issues of concern, such as a drug-related money laundering, nuclear safety, and transnational organized crime. The G7/8 provides an important occasion for busy leaders to discuss major, often complex international issues, and to develop the personal relations that help them respond in effective collective fashion to sudden crises or shocks. The summit also gives direction to the international community by setting priorities, defining new issues and providing guidance to established international organizations. At times it arrives at decisions that address pressing problems or shape international order more generally. The summit members comply modestly with the decisions and consensus generated by and codified at their annual meeting. Compliance is particularly high in regard to agreements on international trade and energy, and on the part of Britain, Canada, and Germany (for analysis of compliance, see Analytical Studies). Summit decisions often create and build international regimes to deal with new international challenges, and catalyze, revitalize and reform existing international institutions. In recognition of its centrality in the process of global governance, the summit has always attracted the attention of thousands of journalists at each leaders' meeting, and of a number of countries seeking admittance to this exclusive and powerful club. It has also become a prime occasion for non-governmental and civil society organizations to advocate on behalf of their concerns. The annual meeting has been an opportunity for antiglobalization demonstrations since the Birmingham Summit in 1998; the protests turned violent in 2001 at the Genoa Summit, resulting in the death of a protestor.