04/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - Eurozone - new step towards Latvian membership. On Monday 4 March 2013, the Latvian government sent an official letter to the European Commission and European Central Bank asking them to issue a report on Latvia's compliance with the Maastricht criteria, the precondition for the country joining the euro on 1 January 2014 (see EUROPE 10794). The reports will be prepared in the spring and sent to the ECOFIN Council. (MB/transl.fl)