Brussels, July 8 - The Economic and Financial Affairs Council of EU (ECOFIN) formally adopted the last and definitive decision on adoption by Slovakia of the euro as its currency, as from 1 January 2009.

The conversion rate is set at 30.1260 Slovak koruna to the euro, which corresponds to the current central rate of the koruna within the EU's ERM II exchange rate mechanism.

The ECOFIN decision will enlarge the euro area to 16 member states.

Fifteen of the EU's 27 member states currently use the euro as their currency: Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Austria, Slovenia and Finland.

Euro notes and coins were introduced in 12 of those countries on 1 January 2002, in Slovenia on 1 January 2007 and in Cyprus and Malta on 1 January 2008.

(Council of the European Union)