site.btaThere Is Every Reason to Make Bulgaria Member of Eurozone by 2026, Says VP Iotova

There is every reason to make Bulgaria a member of the eurozone by 2026, Vice President Iliana Iotova told journalists in Suhindol on Friday. She was in the north-central town to take part in a celebration for Vine-growers' Day and the Day of Suhindol Municipality.

She said that the Government has done everything possible to convince Bulgaria's EU partners that a delay of only two weeks is unlikely to affect the deadlines for requesting a convergence report. She pointed out that it is important for Bulgaria to submit its real figures and values, adding that this is the reason to wait for official data on inflation from the National Statistics Institute and from Eurostat.

Iotova underscored that she would like a serious state budget to be submitted in Parliament, as there are several key issues, including the Prime Minister’s promise of a 3% deficit in 2025. She stressed that it needs to be clear what expenditures will be cut from the budget to ensure a 3% deficit and that this should not be at the expense of people's social benefits. Another key issue is related to what policies the budget will protect, Iotova said. "Despite the postponement, we still do not know what the main priorities in the budget will be, which is a policy tool, not just columns of numbers and tables," she pointed out.

Regarding the boycott of large retail chains in Bulgaria on Thursday, Iotova commented that she believes that this was a civil initiative and that she herself did not buy groceries on that day. She noted what is important is not the result of the initiative, but the civil act, as the civil society must defend their rights when prices in stores are getting higher and higher every day and far outpace income levels.

Iotova also answered a question from journalists about the upcoming congress of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), stating that she really wants the spirit and atmosphere in the party to return to the way it was years ago. "Regardless of who wins on Saturday and Sunday, when the final result becomes clear, BSP must come out even stronger and with an even stronger team," she underscored, adding that the responsibility and participation of BSP in an extremely difficult and delicate government must be protected.

She noted that the first steps of socialist ministers in the government are encouraging in terms of regional development and environment policies, but that the price of this participation in power must be stated even more clearly and categorically. She expressed the hope that the party leadership will leave the ruling coalition if the party's priorities in government are not happening.