Skeptical Czechs Refuse to Change Tone on Euro

The Euro sculpture is seen in front of the European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, on 04 August 2011. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Hopes that Czech President Milos Zeman’s strongly pro-European views may be a first sign the country will change its skeptical tune on the euro, have been in vain, a poll shows.

Zeman may have replaced the strongly euro skeptic Vaclav Klaus, who had long campaigned against the single currency, but a record high percentage of the population – a whopping 77% - are still vehemently against joining the euro zone, a brand new survey says.

A change is unlikely to gather speed soon as only 4% of the respondents fully support adopting the single currency, while another 14% say they partly agree with its introduction.

In the middle of last month the former leftist prime minister, 68, said he believed the Czech Republic could join the euro zone within five years.

Milos Zeman however cannot officially do much about the country's euro policy as it is up to the cabinet to decide the approach to its economic agenda, including on European affairs.

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