Poland's People 'Do Not Want to Join the Euro'

The vast majority of Polish people are against joining the Eurozone, according to a telling new survey.

The country's President Bronislaw Komorowski has voiced his support for Poland adopting the euro and said earlier this week that a decision would have to be made following the 2015 General Election.

The poll, conducted by German research company GFK, found that 76% of Poles are opposed to joining the euro. Just 3% came down strongly in favour of joining, with 15% "leaning in favour". The poll quizzed a representative group of 1,020 Polish people.

Under the terms of its EU membership – Poland acceded in 2004 – the country is obliged to adopt the single currency at some point and abandon the zloty.

The report's authors wrote: "In most age, education, employment status and city size groups, euro adoption opponents dominate and their share amounts to between 70 and 80%."

Given that the governing centre-right Civic Platform party does not hold a strong majority in Warsaw, it may struggle to get any move to adopt the euro over the line.

Earlier in October, the new prime minister, Ewa Kopacz, said she would exercise caution on euro accession, suggesting she would follow in the footsteps of predecessor Donald Tusk.

Kopacz said, in her first parliamentary speech as prime minister: "We must remember that the Eurozone only recently experienced the biggest crisis in its history. Both Poland and the countries of the Eurozone have some homework to do. A strengthened Eurozone and a stable economy; these are the two criteria which will define the best moment for adopting the single currency."