The franc was introduced at par with the French franc.

Since 1945, it has been part of the CFP franc.

In 1999, the Euro was introduced to replace the French franc.

The franc zone is, in fact, an appendage of the French economy.

From the end of World War II until the adoption of the euro, France devalued its own franc 14 times in order to bolster competiveness and exports, with the CFA franc devalued along with it each time.

In the late summer of 1931, the dollar, alongside the French franc, appeared to be the strongest currency in the international system.

On the monetary front, the CFA Franc Zone s member countries dismantled the federal structure that united them during French occupation and erected trade barriers instead.

On the monetary front, the CFA Franc Zone s member countries dismantled the federal structure that united them during French occupation and erected trade barriers instead. The CFA franc issued by two sub regional central banks (BCEAO and BEAC) are not interchangeable.

Decolonizing the Franc Zone

The ensuing economic difficulties were exacerbated under President François Mitterrand, whose prime minister, Pierre Bérégovoy, pursued a strong French franc a policy that ultimately led to a massive 100 devaluation of the CFA franc in 1994.

The franc is the currency of French Polynesia.

Another devaluation of the CFA franc today might deflate France s debts to the franc zone and boost its African based export industries, but it would worsen the franc zone countries miseries.

And the euro s appreciation against the dollar from 2002 until very recently meant that the shift in the CFA franc s exchange rate peg from the French franc to the euro caused a repeat of that scenario.

Even Switzerland is intervening to weaken the franc.

History The franc became the currency of Burundi in 1916, when Belgium occupied the former Germany colony and replaced the German East African rupie with the Belgian Congo franc.

History The franc became the currency of Rwanda in 1916, when Belgium occupied the previously German colony and the Belgian Congo franc replaced the German East African rupie.

But the franc zone countries did not fare nearly so well.

Now he considers it the best currency in the world.

The franc zone s plight is being compounded by distorted and dysfunctional economic and monetary policies.

Swiss Francs by Flickr user Jim (CC BY NC SA 2.0).

French poetry is a category of French literature.

More appalling is the fact that France guarantees the CFA franc s free convertibility into hard currency, originally on the condition that all 15 Franc Zone countries surrender 100 of their foreign reserves to the French Treasury.

French by birth, Bernadotte served a long career in the French Army.

This gap should encourage the franc zone s member countries to reject their relationship with France.

The CFA franc issued by two sub regional central banks (BCEAO and BEAC) are not interchangeable.

It was the largest plunge of the franc ever against the euro.

On January 1, 2008, the franc was valued at 1,129.40 per US dollar.

It is responsible for Swiss monetary policy and for issuing Swiss franc banknotes.

The second way implies a thorough overhaul of the system. This would entail pegging the CFA franc not only to the euro, but also to a basket of other currencies, abolishing the fixed exchange rate and the CFA franc s convertibility, and fast tracking economic integration.

The French Exception?

The French Cul de Sac

The French Disconnection

Transitional arrangements

Only during the period when Burundi used the Belgian Congo franc were centime coins issued.

France s Broken Dream

From Les Bleus to the Blues

Italy s French Temptation

But France s woes are also being felt far beyond its borders, sparking rumors of a possible devaluation of the CFA franc, the common currency of the franc zone, which comprises 14 African countries and the Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean.

France may not like it, but the best interests of the franc zone s citizens should come first.

Attacking French Hopelessness

The CFA franc was sharply devalued in 1994, and outstanding debts were reduced.

Like the French army in the spring of 1940, the French team s strategy and technique were outmoded.

There is no easy answer. But it is time for the franc zone s two leading regional groupings the West African Economic and Monetary Union and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community to begin playing a decisive role in overhauling the franc zone s architecture.

Europe s Franco German Dream Team

The French Rally to the Republic