Analýza připravenosti České republiky pro vstup do eurozóny

When the Czech Republic joined the European Union on 1 May 2004, it committed itself, along with the other nine enlargement countries, to adopting the single European currency. Seven countries have already adopted the new currency, while Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are still postponing the change. In order to adopt the single European currency, a country must demonstrate the stability of its economic and monetary policy. Equally, long-term compliance with the Maastricht criteria set out at the creation of the European Community and, last but not least, the choice of an appropriate transition scenario are required. The aim of this paper is to assess the Czech Republic's readiness to join the euro area and to evaluate its compliance with the requirements of the Union. Another aim is to analyse the level of convergence and to compare real economy indicators with the euro area average. Secondary data used for the research showed that the Czech Republic should meet three of the four Maastricht criteria in 2024, or 2025 at the latest. If the Government decides to join the euro area, 2025 would therefore be a reasonable year to start the process.