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Greece's arrival in the euro-zone on January 1 marks the opening of a new era. For a country that has lagged behind its European Union partners for the past two decades, winning a place alongside the 11 founder-members of the single currency is a considerable achievement.
In spite of the euro's weakness, opinion polls show some 70 per cent of Greeks are in favour of joining the single currency. There is little debate about giving up the drachma; Europe's second-oldest currency is linked in Greek minds with economic and political backwardness.
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