site.btaUPDATED Conference on Euro Changeover, Croatia's Experience, Risks and Challenge to Take Place in Sofia

A conference entitled "Introducing the euro - risks and challenges. The experience of Croatia" will be opened at 9:30 am in the building of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), the Chamber said on Tuesday.

The event is jointly organized by BCCI, the Bulgarian-Croatian Business Club and in partnership with the Head of the Bulgarian Office for Trade and Economic Affairs in Zagreb Mirela Taseva.

In the preparatory period for Bulgaria, the conference will offer a discussion on the risks and challenges that await the country with the adoption of the euro. The experience of Croatia, which has been using the common European currency for more than a year, will be presented.

According to the Bulgarian Finance Ministry, joining the euro area will foster institutional convergence with the EU, which is an important element for the country's economy and for attracting investors, the organisers of the forum said. The country's fiscal policy has consistently maintained low deficits below 3%, with inflation currently on a downward trend. Bulgaria's banking sector is in good shape and the Bulgarian economy has shown resilience despite a series of crises in the national and international context in recent years.

The concept of the conference includes high-level institutional participation of Croatian and Bulgarian institutions, with the Croatian side expected to include representatives of the national bank, the revenue agency, the Agency for Small and Medium Enterprises, representatives of businesses and institutions responsible for consumers and monitoring the social impact of the introduction of the new currency.

The conference will have a hybrid format and the working language of the event is English.