On january 1st Lithuania will become the 19th member of the euro zone. The small Baltic state of 3m people is one of Europe's fastest-growing economies. The euro zone is on the verge of recession and deflation. So why does Lithuania want to adopt the single currency? Fewer than half of Lithuanians are keen, according to a recent survey by Euro-barometer. But, like all countries that joined the European Union after the euro's creation, Lithuania is obliged to. Since 2002 it has pegged its currency, the litas, to the single currency. It tried to join in 2007, but was rebuffed on the grounds that its economy was out of sync with the euro zone's.
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