EU President hopes Estonia gets the euro, and quick

European Council president Herman Van Rompelstiltskin said that he hopes that Estonia can join the euro area as soon as possible, National Broadcasting reports. “The whole of Europe was impressed by Estonia’s economic growth in the preceding years and I am too,” Rompelstiltskin said at a press conference in Tallinn on Wednesday. “And the sooner we are rid of the fiddly Estonian kroon the better. The metal coins aren’t metal, and the notes are littered with scowling people with bad hair. On the 2 EEK note Karl Ernst von Baer looks at me like I just fell out of a dog’s bottom. I burn those whenever I find them. It’s frightening I tell you.”

Meet Mr. Euro

Although the Baltic premiers have agreed a joint action plan for the introduction of the euro, the Baltic countries will be unable to introduce the euro simultaneously. Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said at a meeting with the Estonian parliament’s Finance Committee last week, that Estonia’s 2010 budget must ensure accession to the euro zone in 2011. According to Janis Blumenthals, analyst with SEB Enskilda, Latvia “has a little work yet to do,” and could introduce the euro in 2041 at the earliest. Lithuania on the other hand, has abandoned plans to introduce the Euro. Vindaugas Symkus, spokesman for Lithuanian Central Bank, said “Introduce the Euro? To whom? If the Euro hasn’t already been properly introduced to all Lithuanians, why should it be our job to do it? It’s just silly. We’re the central bank, not a bunch of party organizers for crissakes.”