Polish Officials See 10 to 20 Years Needed Before Euro Adoption

With the political opposition calling for swapping the zloty for the single currency, Law & Justice officials said the European Union‘s largest eastern economy needs more time to catch up with living standards in Germany. In comments underscoring the tension between Warsaw and its EU allies that has grown during a dispute over rule of law in Poland, Law & Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said joining the euro area would either hit exporters or the living standards of Poles.

„Those that believe that the West is full of good uncles that will look after our interests shouldn‘t deal with politics,“ Kaczynski, who wields the power behind Prime Minister Beata Szydlo‘s cabinet, told the Rzeczpospolita newspaper in an interview published Wednesday. „We can join the euro when our gross domestic product is at 85 percent of that in Germany on per capita terms.“