

LONDON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Finance Minister Jacek Rostowski stressed Poland's willingness to join the euro in a speech on Friday but only when the bloc has got past the current crisis and the country itself is well prepared.
The Poles, a growing force in Europe as a rare source of growth throughout four years of economic crisis, are determined to join the front rank of EU decision-makers, and many in the government consider euro membership has become a prerequisite for that.
But recent polls show that less than a third of Poles support abandoning the zloty in favour of the battered common currency.
'When we join will depend on the progress the euro zone makes on stabilisation and integration and the progress Poland makes with structural reforms,' Rostowski told a conference in London.
Poland, which joined the European Union in 2004, is obliged to adopt the euro at some point in the future. Accession by eastern Europe's biggest economy would represent a vote of confidence in the battered currency union.
But Warsaw is embroiled in a debate over the timing of euro adoption, with President Bronislaw Komorowski saying a decision should not be made until after elections in 2015.
'Being in the euro strengthens a country and economy... if it joins when it's well and truly prepared,' Rostowski said. 'On the other hand if you are not well prepared, you can end in very difficult circumstances as we saw with large number of countries in the European periphery.'
Poland, which is not a G20 member, is relaxed about easy monetary policies in countries like Japan, Rostowski said.
'We are comfortable with accommodative monetary policies in countries like Japan as we think it is suitable for the current cycle in the world economy,' he said.
'(These policies) are directed at the domestic monetary and macro economic conditions. We are totally relaxed about it and we can't see why anyone else is worried.'
Finance officials from the G20 are holding meetings in Moscow starting on Friday after a recent high profile discussion about countries deliberately weakening currencies.
(Reporting by Sujata Rao; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Patrick Graham) Keywords: POLAND CURRENCYWAR/
(ingrid.melander@thomsonreuters.com)(+442075426038)(Reuters Messaging: ingrid.melander.reuters.com@reuters.net)
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