Politicians believe Poland will meet the strict fiscal criteria necessary to enter the Euro zone within three years

A new government strategy would see one of the fundamental requirements-budget deficit-lowered to 2.7% by 2007. This would give Poland the green light for joining ERM2, the waiting room that prepares new entrants for the Euro zone. Members are required to keep their currencies within a range of +/- 15% of the central standard. Deputy president of the Central Bank Krzysztof Rybiński said potentially Poland could be ready to join ERM2 even earlier, in 2005. However, in order to do so the Central Bank would have to stop the appreciation of the złoty, which until now it has been reluctant to do. In light of the government's prediction that Poland could qualify for the Euro zone in three years, the WBJ asked two leading economists for their thoughts. While united in their support for the move, both ING Bank Śląski's Mateusz Szczurek and Michał Dybuła from BNP Paribas were concerned about one area in particular... their own future in 2007.