January 08, 2008	Tuesday	Zilhaj 28, 1428

VILNIUS, Jan 7: Lithuania hopes that the European Union could approve in 2010 its plans to ultimately join the single currency bloc, the country’s president said on Monday.

Lithuania missed euro zone entry in 2007 due to rising inflation, which also made its Baltic neighbours Latvia and Estonia shelve euro adoption timetables.

“I see a chance that we can rally our efforts so that the European Council would give the nod in 2010 to Lithuania’s aim to adopt the euro,” President Valdas Adamkus said in a speech to Foreign Ministry officials.

“We should aim to be among the first to adopt the euro in the region.” Lithuania would have to wait until 2011 to adopt the euro formally, even if it did receive European Council approval in 2010.—Reuters