"The fears that are often circulated about entering the eurozone, I believe are unfounded. The countries in the eurozone continue to cope. Yes, with difficulties, but they use the second most used currency in the world, which carries its weight, which saves on transaction costs, from various types of crises. Greece, for example, has already regained stability. The euro did not stop it from recovering from the major crisis it had fallen into. However, the process of entering the eurozone must be carried out in a professional and careful manner so that no one is left defrauded or in any way harmed".
This was stated to bTV by economist and former deputy prime minister Atanas Pekanov.
He was categorical that Bulgaria should and can enter the eurozone on January 1, 2026. "We have not missed this window. I don't see a problem with that yet. But I understand the argument that we should request the convergence report when we are sure that we will meet the criteria. The truth is that at the moment we do not formally meet the price criterion, but it is not hard, it is not strict".
Pekanov explained that in some respects Bulgaria could now meet the price criterion. "But it is not about just one month. This process must be sustainable". And he added: "If we want to enter the eurozone on January 1 next year - by June we must receive the green light from the European institutions. For a convergence report - it must be requested by March at the latest. And not to rush. The worst outcome of this situation is for the report to be negative. Then we will probably have to wait at least 2-3 years".
According to him, the government's focus at the moment should be on taking measures against inflation, but he does not see any action being taken in this direction. "The deficit is actually the point at which some kind of problem can arise. As far as I understand, we are not missing 18 billion leva in the budget, but between 5 and 9. They can be found", he commented.