Slovenia: Fiscal criteria met for eurozone entry

In a speech to the European Parliament today, the Slovene Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dimitrij Rupel, will claim that his country has already met the fiscal criteria for joining the eurozone - paving the way for the country to join the single currency in 2006.

Mr Rupel will also tell parliamentarians that his government is working on reducing inflation and interest rates in order to meet the Maastricht criteria.

Countries joining the EU in May 2004 will have to wait two year...