Euro
Slovenians happy with Commission's findings
The Slovenia's finance minister and central bank have expressed their satisfaction with the European Commission's upbeat assessment of the country's preparations for joining the euro.
Comment: Slovenia set for the euro
The ringing endorsement Slovenia recently received from the European Commission and its economic and monetary affairs commissioner, Joaquin Almunia, underlines the growing consensus that the country will be the next member of the eurozone. However, like…
Slovakia's Sramko named central banker of 2006
The governor of the Central Bank of Slovakia, Ivan Sramko, has been named as The Banker magazine's its Central Banker of the Year for 2006.
Latvia sees problems meeting euro criteria by 2008
Latvia's central bank governor has said the Baltic state is unlikely to meet all the EU's economic convergence criteria for adopting the euro in 2008.
Euro 'War of the words' continues
Latvia has poured oil on the fire in the standoff over the Eurozone common currency spelling (EURO) and supported Malta for sticking to its principles in wanting to use the spelling which is correct according to its national language.
Review of the international role of the euro
The European Central Bank published its fifth annual review of the international role of the euro on Wednesday 21 December, focusing on developments between mid-2004 and mid-2005.
Ireland's Hurley on the central bank & Eurosystem
In the speech 'The central bank and the Eurosystem' given on 6 December John Hurley of the Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland said the introduction of the single currency has been an historical landmark.
IMF's Rajan urges caution on further ECB rate hike
IMF chief economist Raghuram Rajan has called on the European Central Bank to wait for evidence that an economic recovery is taking hold in the euro zone before raising interest rates again.
Comment: Euro adoption order changes
Slovakia's decision on Friday 25 November to join the Exchange Rate Mechanism II (ERM II) with immediate effect took markets by surprise. Policymakers had been saying they were aiming at mid-2006 for joining the ERM II, which serves as a crucial…
Slovakia joins ERM-II
Slovakia has joined the Exchange Rate Mechanism 2 (ERM-II), the Hospodarske noviny daily wrote.
Britain probably better off in euro says Trichet
Speaking at a conference in Berlin on Saturday 19 November, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said Britain would probably be even better off if it joined the euro.
CBs to buy more gold - Rogoff
Kenneth Rogoff told delegates attending a precious metals conference in Johannesburg that he expects central bank gold sales to be reversed in time.
Inflation concerns for Czech NB
The Czech National Bank (CNB) is worried about the inflation criterion the country must meet before joining the euro, vice-governor Miroslav Singer told delegates at a forum of the Czech Exporters' Association on 10 November.
Berlusconi suggests new mandate for ECB
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Thursday 27 October that he had suggested to fellow European Union leaders the idea of changing the European Central Bank's mandate because inflation no longer represented a problem for the eurozone.
ECB's Weber says inflation risk 'noticeably' up
European Central Bank Governing Council member and Bundesbank President Axel Weber said upward risk for euro area price stability has grown "noticeably", with inflation expected "with sufficient certainty" not to duck below 2% by the end of next year.
Estonia's Ansip sees faster growth from euro entry
Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said adopting the euro in 2007 will add 1 percentage point a year to economic growth, increase foreign investment and also boost tourism.
Trichet notes that inflation risks have increased
ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet said in an interview that the risk of rising inflation in the euro zone has increased with the recent surge in oil prices, and the ECB would reinforce its vigilance to head-off a widespread rise in prices.
Monetary policy predictability in the euro area
This Norges Bank Working Paper evaluates the ability of market participants to anticipate monetary policy decisions in the euro area and in 13 other countries.
Euro losing allure for EU newcomers
According to this article published on Tuesday 11 October, the EU's single currency seems to have lost its allure for several of the 10 countries that joined the bloc in May last year.
Joint Eurosystem - Bank of Russia seminar
The Eurosystem - the European Central Bank and the national central banks of the euro area - and the Bank of Russia are holding their second joint seminar, which takes place from 12 to 14 October in Saint Petersburg.
ECB's Garganas sees no need for rate rise
The European Central Bank sees no need to raise eurozone interest rates if area-wide inflation slows to less than 2.0 percent next year, governing council member and Greek central bank chief Nicholas Garganas said in a newspaper interview.
ECB's Trichet on the euro area economy
In the speech 'The euro area economy: determinants of growth, competitiveness and the need for structural reforms' given on 10 October Jean-Claude Trichet of the ECB said euro zone growth may fall below 2 pct in the period up to 2010 and below 1.5 pct by…
Hungary's Jarai warns deficit moving wrong way
Hungarian central bank governor Zsigmond Jarai warned in an interview on Monday 10 October that the country's budget deficit is moving in the wrong direction for euro membership.
Trichet says vigilance needed on inflation risks
ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet said on Friday 7 October that the threat of inflation in the eurozone should be watched carefully due mainly to high property prices.