Sidelining the Ewro

The UK's Daily Mail reports on the public consultation that has been launched in Malta to choose the face of the Maltese euro coins. It mentions Malta's coat of arms, images of the island's prehistoric temples and the Valletta peninsula as potential designs. The report suggests that the national authorities are inclined to sideline the Maltese 'Ewro' spelling:

..Members of the public have until January 29 to vote by SMS on the preferred theme to appear on the national side of the euro coins, officials from Malta's National Euro Changeover Committee and the Central Bank said. Malta joined the EU in May 2004 with nine other countries and hopes to adopt the euro on January 1, 2008.

"We have an opportunity to brand Malta through our euro coin set," Tonio Fenech, junior minister for finance said. The themes suggested are prehistoric Malta, renaissance Malta, the Maltese archipelago and the Maltese identity. Fenech said the Cabinet would decide whether Malta would call the currency 'euro' or 'ewro' in Maltese, but hinted that the former was the preferred choice, despite some lobbying from Maltese linguists

More from MaltaMedia and Malta Independent; Spelling Euro-WiredTemples; In favour of 'Ewro' - The National Council for the Maltese Language; The official Euro site - Malta's National Euro Changeover Committee.