Finance Minister: Bulgaria has fully met 3 of the 4 criteria to join the euro zone

High support for adopting the euro in Croatia a year after the country's entry into the euro area, the Governor of the Croatian Central Bank Boris Vujčić, who is on an official visit in Bulgaria, said on February 26.

He was heard by MPs in Committee on the European Union Affairs, the Schengen area and the Еuro area. Vujčić also reported stable prices of goods and services without a sharp rise in inflation.

"One of the most difficult criteria for us in joining the euro area, as well as for Bulgaria, is related to inflation, and the reason is that an assessment was made on the fulfilment of the criteria, but right at that moment inflation started to rise in the European Union, and with that inflation increased in the euro area," Boris Vujčić said.

"We have already fully met 3 out of 4 criteria and we are currently monitoring inflation, which is falling faster here than in the euro area and the models of both the European Commission and the European Central Bank and our internal models. In 2024 this criterion will also be met and accordingly in 2025 I hope we will become the 21st country in the euro area," added Bulgaria’s Finance Minister Assen Vassilev.