"I hope that Bulgaria will join the Eurozone on January 1, 2025", caretaker Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds Management Atanas Pekanov said before an expert debate in Sofia themed "Is Bulgaria Ready for the Eurozone?". It is just a matter of time for Bulgaria to meet the technical and inflation criteria, said Deputy Premier Pekanov.

 “Bulgaria has been a member of the EU for 15 years and Bulgarian citizens and businesses often do their transactions abroad and use the euro”, said Atanas Pekanov. In his words, more than EUR 1.5 billion is sent from abroad to Bulgaria, but part of the money is lost during the currency conversion. 45% of Bulgaria's exports are to the euro area, 35% of imports are from the euro area, Deputy Premier Pekanov explained. "The Bulgarian economy is moving with that of the euro area, which means that we are ready to adopt the euro as soon as possible", Atanas Pekanov concluded.