Poland expects to meet the European Union?s budget deficit requirements by next year, opening the way for a start to discussions in 2009 on adopting the euro, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, the prime minister, said on Monday.

?We will have a budget deficit in 2007 that is below 3 per cent of GDP,? Mr Marcinkiewicz told foreign correspondents, with reference to one of the required benchmarks for joining the single currency.