Terrorists or agents of hostile powers could mount attacks on companies and systems that control vital parts of an economy, including power stations, electrical grids, and communications networks.

Recycling also stimulates the local economy by creating jobs and trims the pollution control and energy costs of industries that make recycled products by giving them a more refined raw material.

To achieve this balance, nations in the eurozone would need to give up sovereign control over much of their economy - something that in the past was unthinkable.