VIENNA (AFX) - The eventual adoption of the euro by new EU members from central and eastern Europe will be positive for the single currency rather than weakening it, European Central Bank vice-president Christian Noyer said.
"It will not weaken the euro but on the contrary it will bring additional dynamism to the euro zone," Noyer told a conference. New members will only be able to join the euro when they have converged sufficiently with the euro zone, he said.
"They will then be as solid as the core of the euro zone," he said New EU members are expected to join the ERM2 system following their entry into the EU and to meet the Maastricht treaty convergence criteria before adopting the euro.