Maastricht criteria
De Grauwe labels Maastricht rules political tools
The Maastricht criteria for euro adoption are political instruments, not economically-vital measures, a respected economist has said.
IMF: eastern EU states must adopt euro - report
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is alleged to have advocated fast-track eurozone accession for eastern European countries grappling with high amounts of external debt.
Slovakia to join eurozone in 2009
Slovakia is set to become the 16th member of the eurozone despite concerns at the European Central Bank that inflation in the country could rise steeply.
Paper notes factors in EU inflation
Cross-country differences in inflation affecting all EU member states depend on gaps in the initial price level, changes in the nominal effective exchange rate, the quality of institutions and the economy's flexibility, research published by the…
Hungary's Simor questions Maastricht criteria
Andras Simor, the president of Hungary's central bank, told reporters in Bucharest on 17 July that the Maastricht criteria for the adoption of the euro "might not be as appropriate for emerging countries as for the more developed ones."
Comment: Flawed convergence criteria?
Willem Buiter and Anne Sibert, two London-based academics, have slammed the Maastricht criteria for entry into the eurozone. They point to a number of inconsistencies in way the conditions are applied and suggest that the current formulation "makes no…
Substance and semantics in ERM II
In the February issue, Peter Kenen and Ellen Meade discussed the Maastricht treaty's convergence criteria and their application to the accession countries. Here, they look more closely at the key role of the exchange rate criterion.
The Euro 50 Group Roundtable: Is Maastricht too tough?
György Szapáry assesses the credentials of candidate countries for joining economic and monetary union. Existing euro countries have nothing to fear and candidates everything to gain, he argues.
CNB chief, deputy minister assess joining Eurozone
The date of the Czech Republic joining the European monetary union remains unclear. It depends on the speed of the Czech Republic moving closer to the EU, on political decisions and on the harmonisation of legal systems. This was stated by Czech National…
The euro and the political debate in Europe
Political union is necessary for the success of European monetary union, argues Professor Andre Szasz, so that Eurozone members begin to accept that their neighbour's problems are now their problems. But lack of policy coordination, potentially could…