THE NOMINAL CONVERGENCE CRITERIA AND THE EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES OUTSIDE THE EURO AREA

The article deals with selected current problems of the euro area enlargement. It focuses on the nominal convergence criteria and their fulfilment by the European Union member states which have not yet adopted the common currency. The author reminds the problems connected with these criteria and sums up the discussion on them, which is conducted in the literature. On this basis, some important conclusions are made, concerning the future of the convergence criteria and of the euro area, especially in the context of its enlargement. The main proposition is the modification of the criteria, particularly those relating to the inflation and the exchange rate. The introduction of a criterion linked more strictly to the real convergence seems also to some extent justifiable. The methods used in the research process are the most popular ones, typical for the economic sciences, i. e. the statistical analysis and the analysis of literature.