The move would position these countries for a 2007 euro entry. The three new member states would be joining Estonia, Lithuania and Slovenia, which entered ERM II in 2004. The four largest new member states - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia - are unlikely to follow suit until later this decade.
The exact date of the three countries joining ERM II is kept confidential because of the sensitive nature of discussions on fixing exchange rates. However, 2 May has been floated as the possible date for the official announcement.


