[Osem]

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.

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

"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.

That'd be right...

---------- Post added at 13:25 ---------- Previous post was at 13:18 ----------

Meantime:

The gap between France and its European neighbours will widen unless the country introduces fresh economic reforms, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned.

The IMF called on France to lower its labour costs and halt tax hikes to boost both growth and its competitiveness.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22771881

Zut alors!