ABSTRACT
The European Community and the Single Market have always attracted an astonishing interest from other parts of the world. This may be true on one hand because of the economic strength of over 340 million customers and the related impact on world trade. On the other hand, the ongoing process of creating a region with free economic relations, subject to supranational legislation, may recommend itself for reference when other countries are aiming at facilitating cross-border relations. This is certainly the case with a view to the legal structure of the related monetary order, because it started in the shape of a pure inter-governmental co-operation and is supposed to end up with an independent institution established with international personality.
