June 2010, key date to green light for Estonia’s euro entrance
After lots of news about the possibility that Estonia will join the Euro in 2011, it looks like next summer will be the key date to the EU’s approval to joining the European currency.
Joaquin Almunia, Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner, assessed Estonian’s progress to meet the required criteria and for that reason the European Institution could give the green light to the Baltic country, which would be the 17th member of the euro-zone.
Other positive answer about Estonia’s euro entry was given by the European Commission’s Vice President and European Commissioner for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud Siim Kallas, who said that Estonia will probably join euro zone in 2011, at least three years ahead of its neighbors Latvia and Lithuania.
In contrast to Almunia and Kallas’ optimism are the statements of Jean-Claude Juncker, who chairs regular meetings of euro zone finance ministers. Juncker has doubt about the capacity of Estonia to reach the goal of euro entry in 2011, saying that he thinks the country will have to postpone it two or three years.
