Slovakia Ties Currency to Euro - by Paul Ames
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovakia took a major step toward joining the euro zone Friday by linking its currency, the koruna, to the euro in the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.
The decision was announced by the European Union and is in line with Slovakia's plan to adopt the euro on Jan. 1, 2009. Slovakia joined the EU in May 2004 along with nine other new members. Under the mechanism, the koruna will be pegged to the euro within a 15 percent margin above or below a central rate of 38.4550 koruna to the euro. Six other new EU members - Latvia, Malta, Cyprus, Slovenia, Estonia and Lithuania - have already joined the system. Countries must be in the system for at least two years before they can join the euro zone. Of the nine new EU members, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic have yet to join the system.
In order to join, nations must meet targets of low inflation, low budget deficits and low national debt, as well as limiting currency fluctuations against the euro. EU estimates released this month showed Slovakia within the inflation and debt targets, but its deficit of 4.1 percent of gross domestic product was above the 3-percent threshold set for euro-zone membership.
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