BARROSO ON LATVIA'S EURO ACCESSION.

The Presidents of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, and the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, believe that Latvia's accession to the euro on 1 January is an expression of trust in the common currency. "Not long ago, people were predicting the euro's demise," recalled Barroso during his visit to the Latvian capital. The two leaders remarked that the euro Latvia has just adopted is stronger today than it was only a few years earlier.

Barroso and Van Rompuy were in Riga to celebrate Latvia's accession to the common currency. They said that the euro will bring significant economic and political benefits to the Baltic state. Thanks to its accession, "Latvia is now at the core of the European Union,"...