Polish leader says adopting euro is not the priority

WARSAW, Poland – Poland's prime minister says his government's priority is not to adopt the common European currency, the euro, but to raise people's earnings to Western European levels.

Premier Mateusz Morawiecki was commenting Tuesday in reaction to the opposition, which said it would adopt the euro if it won power in parliamentary elections in the fall.

Morawiecki told state radio that his government's priority is to make earnings comparable with those in rich European countries, which would take some 10 years.

He praised the Polish currency, the zloty, saying it is ensuring people's prosperity, and cited Slovakia and Lithuania as countries where prices of staple goods rose following the adoption of the euro.

Poland's ruling party recently announced a new round of social benefits that critics say aim to win voter backing.