Latvian Euro

From the BBC:
"Latvia to become 18th eurozone member from 2014"

Latvia will become the 18th country to use the euro after being approved for membership by the European Commission. In a report, the Commission confirmed that the Baltic state had met the criteria for joining the single currency. Latvia is keen to strengthen ties with western Europe and reduce its dependency on Russia. Officials said the eurozone had defied those who predicted it would collapse under the sovereign debt crisis.  The country will start using the currency at the beginning of 2014 after meeting the criteria for membership, including low inflation and long-term interest rates, as well as low public debt. EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said Latvia's desire to adopt the euro was a sign of confidence in the single currency.  The BBC Brussels correspondent, Matthew Price, said that unlike some established members of the zone, Latvia was well within the economic limits set by Brussels for joining. "In much of Eastern Europe there's widespread enthusiasm - certainly among policy makers - for joining the single currency," he noted.

"However, polls suggest that many in the country are worried the switch could drive prices higher."

Anti-euro parties won more than half of the vote in elections in the capital, Riga, last weekend.

^ I hope the EU is right and that the Eurozone won't disappear. I am surprised that Latvia wants to join right now, but I thought the same about Estonia a few years ago. I guess to the them it is better to go down in a sinking ship (EU) then be invaded and occupied again by Russia. ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22781146