Latvia's Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis poses for the media with a euro banknote during an official event in Riga January 1, 2014. Latvia joins the euro zone on Wednesday, banking on its experience of self-imposed austerity to bring it prosperity in a currency union where other economies have floundered.The Baltic country of just two million people was set to become the bloc's 18th member at midnight, taking a step further out of the shadow of neighbouring Russia a decade after joining the European Union and NATO. REUTERS Ints Kalnins (LATVIA - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS)