Twelve countries will introduce Euro notes and coins on 1
January, 2002: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal
and Spain.

The UK, Denmark and Sweden, who are also members of the
European Union, are not part of the Euro area and neither are
any countries outside the EU, for instance Turkey and
Switzerland. Euro notes will be identical for all countries
and usable in all EU countries.

Each EU member country will produce their own
coins, with one common side and one national side, but
they can be used in any of the Euro area countries. Cash
dispensers will dispense Euro notes and national notes and
coins can be used until 28th February 2002, except in the
Netherlands, Ireland and France.

Euro notes can be purchased from most banks and Bureaux de
Change from 1st January 2002. If you have existing foreign
currency for EU countries, unless you intend to visit these
countries very early in 2002, you should exchange them now.

Don’t wait too long as you will not be able to use old
currencies by March 2002 at the latest.

Source: http://www.fco.gov.uk/