PM says eurozone negotiations could begin in 2009

Marcinkiewicz promised that by this date Poland would comply with all Maastricht criteria necessary to adopt the common currency. "In 2007 our budget deficit will be lower than 3% of GDP," declared the Prime Minister. The forecast for this year assumes that the deficit may amount to 2.5% GDP. According to the estimates of the National Bank of Poland, the adoption of euro will increase the economic growth by 0.02% annually. However, coalition parties are reluctant to give any specific dates of the entry into the eurozone and declare that the entry should be put off for as long as possible. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B1) E.B.