Welcome
Foreign Minister Steinmeier welcomes Latvia into the eurozone
On 1 January 2014, Latvia became the 18th member of the eurozone. Foreign Minister Steinmeier called Latvia’s entry an “expression of trust in Europe”.
Foreign Minister Frank‑Walter Steinmeier issued the following declaration today (31 December) on Latvia’s entry into the eurozone, which will take place tomorrow:
Welcome, Latvia! Including you, we are now 18 countries using the common European currency.
The Latvians fully deserve this step and have worked hard for it. They stood resolutely by the goal of swiftly joining the eurozone, even in times when some wanted to give up on the euro project. What could be a greater expression of trust in Europe and our common currency?
Indeed, things are moving forward in the euro area, we have made progress together and now it is paying off.
We finally have good reason to be confident that the worst of the crisis is behind us and 2014 could be a good year – for new momentum for growth everywhere in Europe, for higher levels of employment and for the stability of the euro.