AU REVOIR, UND BIS SPATER

"Come Jan. 1, 1999, it will be good-by French francs, German marks and Dutch guilders, and hello 'euro,' the name for Europe's new single currency selected today by European Union leaders meeting in Madrid," reports Brussels bureau chief Jay Branegan. To qualify as a euro partner, a nation has to meet strict economic goals established by the Maastricht Treaty, which has set standards of low inflation, public debt and budget deficits. "The decision on just which European countries' economies are strong enough to join the single currency is due to be made in early 1998," says Branegan. "The delay fudges a dispute between France, which would like the selection made well ahead of its March, 1998, elections, and Germany, which wants the decision based on actual economic performance for 1997, not estimates."