If Bulgaria does not adopt the euro quickly it risks staying in the "Eurozone waiting room" for a long time, caretaker Minister of Finance Rositsa Velkova said in an interview for the BNR. In her words, July 1, 2024 is a possible date for the adoptiion of the single currency.
"If the 49th National Assembly puts the accession to the Eurozone on its priority list, it can adopt the necessary legislation, including amendments to the Law on the Bulgarian National Bank, the Commercial Code and the Insurance Code. Then we could submit a request for an extraordinary convergence report in July.
At the beginning of the 49th National Assembly, the caretaker government will submit a draft budget for 2023, said Minister Velkova. Estimates indicate that the budget will have a deficit of 6%. In her words, it is a matter of political decisions to lower the deficit to 3% of the GDP to meet the Maastricht criteria.
Minister Velkova stressed that there should be a broad information campaign before a possible referendum on the euro.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) forecasts an acceleration in Bulgaria's economic growth from 1.8% in 2023 to 2.5% in 2024 and to 2.9% in 2025 as public investment increases along with EU funds. OECD expects inflation..
MPs have agreed to extend the 0% VAT on bread and flour, which was due to expire on June 30, until the end of 2024. Under the GERB proposal, traders will be allowed to add a maximum of 15% profit margin on bread, but the proposal is limited to the most..
Bulgargaz expects the price of natural gas next month to be 5 to 6% lower as compared to April. During an open meeting at the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission, the initially proposed price of EUR29.12 per megawatt-hour was reduced to EUR28.36. The..
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