Real income growth will pick up

Bulgaria's entry into the Eurozone has always been a matter of political decision - both for our country and for our European partners.

Without any doubt, it can be said that we already made our strategic choice for full integration within the European community many years ago. The benefits of our country joining the "Club of the Rich Countries" have been repeatedly stated and exceed the challenges and risks. It is enough to mention only one thing - accelerating the growth of the real incomes of the working people.

Regarding the formal criteria for the accession of our country to the Eurozone, there is only one obstacle - price levels. And yes – by the time the convergent report is released in June, our country will not be able to cover the required parameters, but the objective trend is that we are getting closer to reaching them. It should also be emphasized that we meet the parameters of the remaining criteria. On the other hand, Bulgaria has always been among the "excellent performers" in terms of fiscal discipline within the Union. As I have already mentioned, the question of our joining the Eurozone is a political one, so deviation from one parameter or another should not be the key in deciding whether to get the green light for full membership. History shows that other countries have joined even when two criteria were not met.

And to the question of whether our country is ready for membership in the Eurozone, our answer as a society must always be affirmative.