Deputy PM Vondra backs euro entry

The Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra has come out in favour of the Czech Republic joining the eurozone as soon as possible. Mr Vondra said in an interview with the business daily Hospodářské noviny that getting on board what he described as ‘the steamship’ would be better than keeping the crown in the mid-term. The government is expected to set a date for adopting the euro in the autumn. The Czech Republic’s neighbour Slovakia, meanwhile, adopted the European single currency at the start of 2009.