The survey conducted by the Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) pollsters for the London-based Open Europe think tank found that 58% of Poles would vote against euro adoption in a possible referendum. The near 39-million strong Poland was the largest of 10 mostly ex- communist states to join the EU on May 1, 2004. Polish officials have refused to name a target date for adoption of the euro, saying only that Poland would meet the Maastricht Treaty macro-economic criteria necessary for euro adoption by 2009. President Lech Kaczynski has suggested a public referendum on euro adoption could be held.
A majority of voters polled in other EU newcomer states were also opposed to the future adoption of the euro, according to the TNS findings. Some 64% of Latvians were opposed to a switch to the euro as was the case with 62% of Lithuanians and 62% of Cypriots. Fifty-nine percent of Czechs were also against adopting the euro, along with 56% of Estonians, 47% of Bulgarians, 48% of Slovakians and 49% of Hungarians. Only in Romania, which joined the EU January 1 this year along with Bulgaria, is there majority support for euro adoption, with 45% supporting the move and 36% remaining opposed, the TNS poll found. Slovenians, who joined the EU in May 2004 and have already adopted the euro, support the currency switch with 59% saying they would not want to reverse the move. (Business.News)



