Croatia clears final hurdle to adopting the euro next year

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has removed the final obstacles tp Croatia adopting the euro next year. It will enable the first expansion of the currency bloc in almost a decade as the exchange rate fell to its weakest level against the dollar in 20 years. EU finance ministers on Tuesday approved three laws that will pave the way for Croatia to become the 20th member of the eurozone on Jan. 1. The last EU country to join the European single-currency area was Lithuania in 2015. Adopting the euro offers economic benefits stemming from deeper financial ties with the currency bloc’s other members and from the European Central Bank’s monetary authority.