THE attempt to "sell" the euro - the proposed single currency - to Europe's citizens started in earnest with a big pow-wow in Brussels this week. But, in Germany, special measures may be needed to sell the idea to a public which is very attached to its deutschmark. With this in mind, German Chancellor Dr Helmut Kohl is reported to be considering asking supermodel Claudia Schiffer to lend a hand.

Fewer than 40 per cent of Germans support the euro, but with someone like Schiffer on billboards and television screens supporting the single currency, Chancellor Kohl hopes awareness and enthusiasm will soar. However, he must first convince the Dusselfdorf-born international celebrity to grace an advertising campaign with a total budget of less than £7 million.