Poland will hold a referendum on joining the euro in 2010, amid new signs that the journey towards the single currency could inflame tensions between Warsaw and Brussels, the country's finance minister has predicted.

Zyta Gilowska said Poland would meet the entry criteria for the euro in 2009 and membership would be put to a popular vote the following year. The decision to hold a referendum has confounded some in Brussels, who point out that Poland is already committed to joining the euro under the terms of its accession to the European Union in 2004.