VILNIUSLithuania joined the euro zone at the stroke of midnight on Thursday, hoping to anchor itself in Europe as its former master Russia flexes its military muscle in the region. 
 
 The first Soviet republic to declare independence, in 1990, Lithuania is the last of the three Baltic states to join the currency union and will be the last country to do so for the foreseeable future, with remaining European Union members at least two years, and probably much more, away. 
 
 "Myself, and I think, many of you feel sad that (Lithuania's currency) the litas, which has served us well for more than two decades, becomes history, but we have to move forward," Lithuania's Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius told the euro launch ceremony. 
 
 The common currency remains a divisive issue, with polls showing half the population of 3 million still not convinced dumping the litas is a good idea. 
 
 Lithuania's Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius, who became the first person in the country to withdraw a 10 euro banknote from a cash machine, said the euro would "become a guarantor of both economic and political security." 
 
 The government hopes that by becoming the 19th member of the euro bloc, Lithuania's trade will get a boost and borrowing costs will fall to help the country to recover from a 15 percent contraction in 2009 at the height of the global financial crisis. 
 
 The central bank Governor Vitas Vasiliauskas has also stressed the "geopolitical" significance of the move which puts the former Soviet state firmly in the sphere of what used to be considered Western Europe. 
 
 "You live where you live. You have to keep that in mind," he told Reuters when asked about benefits of euro zone entry, referring to the recent flare-up in tensions in the region. 
 
 Russia’s role in the Ukraine crisis, which included the annexation of Crimea, has awoken fears in the Baltics, which have sizable ethnic Russian minorities, that they could be next. 
 
 NATO scrambled its jets more than 150 times in 2014 in response to Russian sorties, three times more than the previous year. Moscow also held surprise military exercises in Kaliningrad, its enclave that borders Lithuania, in December, with 9,000 troops and 55 ships. 
 
 Despite rising political tensions, Lithuania's credit rating is now well into investment grade, and rating agency Fitch expects its economy to growth by 3.5 percent in 2015, three times as fast as the euro zone as a whole. 
 
 Still, almost two-thirds of people fear Lithuania is losing part of its identity by switching to euro, and three-quarters expect price to rise after adopting the euro, a Eurobarometer poll found. 
 
 Estonia joined the euro zone in 2011, followed by Latvia in 2014. All three Baltic nations joined the European Union and NATO in 2004. 
 
 (Additional reporting by Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels and Nerijus Adomaitis in Oslo; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) ||||| VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — When Antanas Zubavicius turns the light on in his run-down house, it's the only light for miles. He is the last man in Dumbliuneliai, a once busy farmers' village in Lithuania that has gradually been abandoned as its residents emigrated in search of better jobs. 
 
 Bank staff fill a cash machine with euro currency in Vilnius, Lithuania, Tuesday. Dec. 30, 2014, as preparations continue for the currency swap-over. Political leaders are hoping that joining the euro... (Associated Press) 
 
 Bank staff fill a cash machine with euro currency in Vilnius, Lithuania, Tuesday. Dec. 30, 2014, as preparations continue for the currency swap-over. Political leaders are hoping that joining the euro... (Associated Press) 
 
 "I'm not going anywhere. This is my land," the 60-year-old says, waving at the abandoned, shuttered houses around him. "When I am gone this village is gone too." 
 
 Lithuania became the 19th country to adopt the euro on Thursday, hoping that membership in the European Union's official currency will bring a rise in investment and trade. But the Baltic country's increasing integration with richer European countries has also a pernicious side-effect: a wave of emigration that is emptying towns and causing worker shortages. 
 
 Emigration has been on the rise since 2004, when this country of 3 million people joined the EU, whose membership guarantees freedom of movement. 
 
 During the 2008-2011 financial crisis, more than 80,000 people — almost 3 percent of the population — left every year, mainly to Germany, Britain and other richer economies to earn salaries many times higher. Experts forecast that trend to continue, or even increase. 
 
 In the field of construction, business owners complain it is impossible to keep hold of workers, even with massive annual wage increases of 10 to 20 percent. The problem is not confined to rural villages. Most shopping malls, restaurants and businesses in once busy urban areas are increasingly short of labor. 
 
 "There's simply no more skilled people left here," says Arvydas Avulis, CEO of Hanner, a leading real estate investor and developer that specializes in high-rise construction. 
 
 A quick look at wage figures shows why. A manual worker in Lithuania can expect to earn 1.80 euros ($2.20) an hour compared with 4.30 euros ($5.24) in Spain and 8.60 euros ($10.50) in Ireland, according to the EU statistics agency. 
 
 In the more skilled sectors like computing, medicine or the services industry, where Lithuania's educational system produces highly qualified graduates, wage differences are even greater. 
 
 In her New Year's speech, President Dalia Grybauskaite said accession to the euro area is "our opportunity to grow and develop as a modern European state, to set ourselves new goals and look firmly to the future." 
 
 On Wednesday — the day before the official changeover to the euro — Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius thanked those who introduced the litas back in 1992 and welcomed the incoming euro. "It will be the new tool to guarantee greater economic and political security," he told a meeting of bankers and business leaders. 
 
 Shoppers filled stores on Wednesday in a last-minute bid to get rid of litas despite assurances by the central bank that the national currency will be accepted throughout Lithuania until mid-January. 
 
 "I had several thousands (of litas) left at home and decided to get rid of those before its too late. It's a win-win; I did not have to wait in line at the bank and will surprise my kids," said Mindaugas Kazlauskas, an engineer, who purchased a gaming console. 
 
 Euro membership is expected to help Lithuania's economy, even though the currency bloc is struggling to grow. Having the same currency as 18 other richer economies will facilitate commerce and reduce investment risks for foreigners. Government borrowing rates are forecast to drop by almost 1 percentage point, which would filter down to the private sector. 
 
 The problem is that Lithuania is the bloc's poorest member and even though its economy is growing at a stronger pace than most EU countries, it has a long way to develop before it can hope to offer wages on a par with other EU states. 
 
 Unsurprisingly, most Lithuanians favor joining the euro, as it will cement the country's ties with the West and keep those richer labor markets open to them. 
 
 In a Nov. 26 survey by Berent Research Baltic, 53 percent of respondents said they back euro membership, up from 47 percent in September. Some 39 were opposed, down from 49 percent. A total of 1,002 people were interviewed for the poll, which had a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points. 
 
 Skeptics worry about the euro's recent problems with government debt and economic stagnation. 
 
 Pranciskus Sliuzas, a journalist and anti-euro activist, describes joining the euro as "one of the most stupid things of all time." He laments the fact that Lithuania is giving up some national powers, such as the ability to determine its interest rates or budget deficit. 
 
 For others, such economic arguments are of secondary concern to issues like national security — in particular the fear of an increasingly aggressive Russia. Along with neighbors Latvia and Estonia, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union for almost five decades. 
 
 "I think it would be a good thing to get closer to the rest of Europe as the only other option is to become friends with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin," said Janina Gailiene, a retired primary school teacher in Vilnius.
– Lithuania's lita is about to join the drachma, guilder, and Deutschmark in the pages of history: The country has become the 19th to adopt the euro, despite polls showing around half the population against membership, and the old national currency will no longer be accepted by mid-January, reports Reuters. Despite the euro's problems, the country hopes adopting the currency will boost trade with the other 18 nations using it, although the AP notes that Lithuania is the eurozone's poorest member and integration with the other nations has caused a huge wave of emigration that has left some industries unable to keep workers, even with annual wage increases of 20%. Officials say that beyond the economic gains, the currency switch will shift the country further away from Russia's influence.