"The euro was meant to bring Europe closer together. These days, it seems to be doing the opposite.</br></br>The common currency, already caught in a major slide, is becoming the cause of heated political finger-pointing. The Germans blame the Italians for lack of budgetary backbone. The Dutch head of the European Central Bank faults the Germans for failing to kick-start their economy. And currency traders are voting with their feet.</br></br>The big question is whether the euro is going through normal growing pains -- or facing a major crisis. The answer may be a bit of both. Yesterday, the euro hit another low, trading for as little $1.0326 on uncertainty over Kosovo and prospects for higher U.S. interest rates. In late New York trading, the euro traded for $1.0358.</br></br>""There was extensive debate before European economic and monetary union that it would be difficult to have a single currency for this region,"" says Thomas Mayer, European economist with Goldman, Sachs & Co. in Frankfurt. ""This has just all become clear much earlier than expected,"" he said.</br></br>Wim Duisenberg, head of the European Central Bank, yesterday played down concerns about the euro's drop, stressing the euro-zone's favorable inflation outlook. ""The euro is a currency firmly based on internal price stability and therefore has a clear potential for a stronger external value,"" Mr. Duisenberg said at a news conference after the ECB governing council's regular meeting. The ECB held interest rates steady, as expected."