1.  Monetary union will eliminate the currency fluctuations among member nations, but their shared currency, the euro, will still rise and fall relative to the dollar.

2.  This shared currency has always been pegged to the French franc.

3.  By The Associated Press Eleven European nations are adopting the euro as their shared currency.

4.  European Union finance ministers agreed Saturday on the need coordinate tax policies as part of preparations for the switch to a shared EU currency.

5.  Its charter also calls for a shared currency and a court of justice.