The 10th anniversary of the single European currency, celebrated in 2009, provided a good occasion to examine the developments of the euro over the decade it existed, and to assess its advances with regard to becoming a global currency. The paper comprises five parts, which include both theoretical and empirical analysis. Section I introduces the notion of a global currency, its main benefits and the economic pre-requisites for gaining this status. Section II provides an overview of the existing literature on the question of the euro s role in the global economy and its potential international dominance. Section III introduces an empirical assessment of the euro s world-wide use, and establishes certain predictions of potential future changes. Section IV presents a case-study of the use of the euro in both public and private spheres in two EU neighbouring countries (Ukraine and Russia) a review having no comprehensive equivalent at the moment. Section V concludes.