site.btaCommissioner Dombrovskis Pays Two-Day Visit to Bulgaria

Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification Valdis Dombrovskis is in Sofia for a two-day visit focused on Bulgaria's preparations to join the euro area, the European Commission said.

On Monday, Commissioner Dombrovskis will deliver a speech at the University of National and World Economy, followed by a Q&A session with students.

On Tuesday, the Commissioner will take part in the high-level conference ‘Bulgaria on the Doorstep of the Eurozone' joining Bulgarian and international leaders, including Bulgaria's Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov, ECB President Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and the President of the Eurogroup and Ireland's Minister of Finance Paschal Donohoe, for discussions on Bulgaria's euro accession.

As part of the conference, Commissioner Dombrovskis will participate in a high-level roundtable together with Temenuzhka Petkova, Bulgaria's Minister of Finance, Dimitar Radev, Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, and Pierre Gramegna, Managing Director of the European Stability Mechanism. There, the Commissioner will discuss how the euro can strengthen Bulgaria's resilience and competitiveness in the current geopolitical context. He will also discuss how Bulgaria's entry into the euro area would reinforce the resilience of the euro area in the global economy and the international role of the euro. Additionally, the Commissioner will outline policy priorities for Bulgaria to thrive in the euro area in the years ahead, drawing from his experience in Latvia and more recent euro accessions.

On the same day, Commissioner Dombrovskis will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Jeliazkov and a working lunch with Minister Petkova. Commissioner Dombrovskis and Minister Petkova will participate in a joint press conference that will be livestreamed on EBS. Finally, the Commissioner will meet with the newly appointed Speaker of Parliament, Raya Nazaryan.