It was a long-awaited moment, both in northern Catalonia and south of the border: the changeover to the single currency on January 1, 2022 was to considerably simplify trade and promote trade. But twenty years after the appearance of the euro, in Perthus, straddling France and Spain, traders, customers and elected officials deplore its negative effects. For the mayor, Thierry Thadée, this upheaval was not an opportunity, on the contrary, he deprived the municipality of one of its main sources of income: exchange offices. By closing, dozens of people were made redundant.
The exchange office, the first stop for holidaymakers
“The truck drivers went through the village, through the pass, there were 20 or 25 exchange offices”, remembers the one who took the head of the town hall in 2018. “We were changing everything here, German Marks, Dollars, Swiss Francs. All of this came to an end as we switched to the single currency, so the employees no longer had to be. From there, there was The two biggest exchange offices disappeared, laying off 80 employees. The Perthus is no longer flourishing as it was in the 90s and even in the early 2000s. “
For Stéphane, an inhabitant of the Ardèche, follower of Catalonia in summer and winter, stopping at a currency exchange office in Perthus was the first stop on his trip to Barcelona: “It was not unpleasant, it was a habit to take, quite simply. You had to change your francs into pesetas, and we would take advantage of the return if we had any left.”
20 years of decline in the purchasing power of the French
Having become an optional stop, the village on the French side has seen its shops disappear one after the other. “There were clothes shops, lots of restaurants, …” lists Thierry Thadée. “Today, there are only two restaurants, and a third, ephemeral, in summer.”
There remain three clothing shops, a pharmacy and a bakery and pastry shop: the basis for a municipality. Everything else is gone.
Another consequence felt by French customers, soaring prices on the Spanish side. “It was easier with the franc, we lived a lot better”, recalls Nadia, a Parisian vacationer. “We were buying gifts. Now it’s become too expensive: at the start of the week, I went to La Jonquera, I think that’s double the time.”
This drop in the purchasing power of the French, Spanish traders are also noticing, even if they recognize that the euro has simplified the task at the checkout, especially in department stores like the one where Nordine works. “We had the boxes in pesetas and the boxes in francs, it was complicated for checks … In euros, it’s easier. But the French benefited from the exchange rate. Now, their purchasing power has decreased . “ A decline that favored the grouping of Spanish stores into large shopping centers, a competition which accentuated the decline of French businesses.
The Perthus fears he will live darker days
From now on, the Perthus fears that his last resource will disappear. “All that is parking is revenue for the municipality”, says Mayor Thierry Thadée. “There is a worry: the Gran Jonquera shopping center will double its size and offer twice as many free parking spaces. We’re heading for a little darker days. ”
This large American-style shopping area, with its slashed prices, is located several kilometers south of the border, and its expansion planned for summer 2023, should also cause harm to Spanish stores located along the border between France and Spain.