It had three main components: the ECU, which was a basket of the currencies of the Member States; the exchange-rate and intervention mechanisms, which gave each currency a central exchange rate linked to the ECU (bilateral exchange rate), and the credit mechanisms, which allowed central banks to intervene if bilateral exchange rates exceeded a threshold.
Bhí trí phríomh chomhpháirt aige: an tECU, a bhí ina bhascaed d’airgeadraí na mBallstát; na meicníochtaí maidir le ráta malairte agus idirghabháil a thug ráta malairte nasctha leis an ECU (ráta malairte déthaobhach), do gach airgeadra, agus na meicníochtaí creidmheasa, a chuir ar chumas bainc cheannais idirghabháil a dhéanamh má chuaigh rátaí malairte déthaobhacha thar thairseach.