AS if the planned European single currency did not have enough obstacles in its course Sweden this week threw another spanner into the works. While the concerns of many Euro sceptics focus on the dreaded euro as posing a risk to financial health Sweden is concerned that the new coins be a potential hazard to physical health.

Worries that many EU citizens may be allergic to the nickle content of the coinage has prompted Sweden to lobby EU nation states to accept a ban on nickle. Vending machine operators are also worried over the shape and size of the coins, adding to the pocketful of technical and perceptual problems confronting the brave new world of the single currency.