The euro area refers to an economic and geographic region consisting of all the European Union (EU) countries that incorporate the euro (€) as their national currency.

In 1992, the Maastricht Treaty created the EU and paved the way for the formation of a common economic and monetary union consisting of a central banking system, a common currency, and a common economic region, the eurozone.

As of 2022, the eurozone consists of 19 countries in the European Union (EU): Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.