Participants at an economic forum organised by the Daric business review website in Sofia agreed on Wednesday that Bulgaria's membership of the eurozone would bring many benefits to the country, its economy and its people, while delaying membership would also entail losses.
“Bulgarian companies are aware of the benefits of adopting the euro and joining the euro zone. They are ready to take the necessary steps to adjust their activities to the new currency,” said Stanislav Popdonchev, vice president and chief financial officer of the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA). He noted that companies' readiness has been steadily improving in recent years, which is reflected in the BIA's annual survey.
According to Popdonchev, the political debate about the eurozone is very important and it depends on the extent to which politicians consider membership a priority.
Polina Karastoyanova, executive director of the National Tourism Organization, said joining the monetary union was important for Bulgaria as a tourist destination, adding that tourism was one of the few industries in Bulgaria that had the potential to double in size.
Tourism is a key sector of the national economy, generating around 14 percent of the country's GDP, a locomotive that hitches wagons to contractors and suppliers of goods and services, creating 300,000 to 500,000 jobs during peak and off-peak periods of the year, and a local export industry, Karastoyanova said.
Postponing euro zone membership would mean missing out on benefits for Bulgaria, said Julieta Mandazieva, an expert member of the Association of Innovation, Business Services and Technology (AIBEST) and member of the Bulgarian Association of Management Companies. In her words, the more Bulgaria delays and actively resists membership, the more it goes against the country and its interests.
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