Euro applicants press for early entry into eurozone

Lithuania and Slovenia are pressing for an early evaluation of their eurozone prospects by the European Commission, in a bid to join the euro at the beginning of 2007.

The commission and the European Central Bank are expected to unveil an economic assessment of the two euro applicants, plus Estonia in October.

But the EU executive has recently signalled it could opt for an earlier date for Slovenia to allow the best prepared and economically fit candidate to enter the single cu...