Born March 18, 1943, Sart-Custinne
Germain Pirlot is a former Belgian teacher of French and history and an Esperantist. However, he is best known as the inventor of the word ‘euro’ for the common unit of currency in Europe. On August 4, 1995, Pirlot proposed to the then President of the European Commission, Jacques Santer, to use the name euro for the new currency. On behalf of the President, Germain Pirlot was officially thanked for this suggestion with a letter. The name euro was officially accepted in Madrid in December 1995. According to Jean-Jacques Schul, President of Promeuro (the association for the promotion of the euro), no one else had suggested using this name before August 4, 1995.
He has been a member of the Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj (AIS), the International Academy of Sciences in San Marino, since 1983. Between 1980 and 1987, he published 96 articles about Esperanto in La Dernière Heure.
Germain Pirlot is also a 1st dan in karate and has been a member of Budo Karate Oostende since the 1980s, where he still helps as an assistant trainer for the kids to this day. In 2012, he was honored for his years of dedication to the karate club.