Monetary union aims to promote the liberalization of trade and investment, reduce the risk of exchange rate fluctuations, and improve market transparency and stability by jointly adopting the same currency or fixed Exchange rate regime.
A currency alliance refers to a geographical area that uses a currency with three major functions: a unit of measurement, a medium of exchange, and a storage of value. In a monetary union, the currencies of member countries or regions are replaced or merged into a major common currency to achieve economic integration and monetary stability.
The establishment of the European Economic and Monetary Union and the birth of the euro are historic innovations. There has never been an independent country in the world that abandons its own currency to form a monetary union based on the use of the same currency under the leadership of the same monetary authority. At the same time, each country maintains its own political independence, formulates economic policies based on its own national conditions in addition to monetary policies, and coordinates its economic policies through consultation, negotiation, and other means. It refers to two or more countries adopting a common currency or two or more countries maintaining independent currencies and adopting fixed exchange rates.
The goal of a monetary union is usually to promote trade and investment liberalization between member countries or regions, reduce currency volatility risks, and improve market transparency and stability. Member countries or regions share the same monetary policy and fixed Exchange rate regime in the monetary union to reduce the impact of exchange rate fluctuations on the economy.
Monetary union can take different forms, such as a complete monetary union, where the currencies of member countries or regions are completely replaced by a common currency, such as the eurozone; or a semi-monetary union, where member countries or regions still retain their own currencies but have a fixed exchange rate relationship with the common currency, such as the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.
A monetary union requires political and economic cooperation among member states, as well as specific institutions and agreements to manage and maintain the operation of the union. Member countries must jointly bear some risks, such as unemployment and economic recession, and take corresponding policy measures to coordinate economic and fiscal policies.