Latvia becomes 18th state to join the eurozone Wednesday Jan 01,2014

Latvia has begun the new year by joining the eurozone, becoming the 18th member of the group of EU states which uses the euro as its currency

Latvia has its own euro coins

The Governor of the Latvian central bank, Ilmars Rimsevics, said: "Euro brings stability and certainty, definitely attracting investment, so new jobs, new taxes and so on. So being in the second largest currency union I think will definitely mean more popularity."

people withdrew euros from a cash machine in Riga early on New Year's Day