I am convinced that the government and parliament will take the necessary measures and make the necessary decisions to join the eurozone. This was stated by President Rumen Radev at the opening of the forum of The Economist magazine in Sofia, BTA reports. The head of state is an honored guest and lecturer at the forum.
Bulgaria has always been an unchanging and important part of Europe. We cannot afford to become a periphery of the European Union. It is written in our treaty with the EU that we will join Schengen and the eurozone, the head of state pointed out. There is a debate in society now, but the question is when will we become a member of the eurozone and I am convinced that the Bulgarian government, parliament and all institutions will take the necessary measures and make the necessary decisions to join the eurozone, the president said.
We need to develop a strong mechanism for monitoring and controlling prices, otherwise we will be disappointed. Control mechanisms need to be introduced and I must say that we are already late, noted Rumen Radev.
The president wished the government success. It must be very careful with regard to the transparency of the procedures and decision-making mechanisms. We need a higher degree of transparency, more clarity in decision-making, the head of state pointed out.
Regarding Schengen, Rumen Radev noted that our country has been waiting for many years to join, although Bulgaria met the technical criteria back in 2011. The single European market will be more effective and more sustainable when Bulgaria and Romania are part of Schengen, he said.
We must avoid a trade war, everyone loses from such a war, it is an artificial barrier to free trade, the president answered a question related to US President Donald Trump's plans to possibly impose higher tariffs on EU imports. The US and Europe are the strongest partners, we have a common vision of the world, common values, our relations have long historical roots and I am convinced that tariffs will be postponed over time, but if they are imposed, we must respond and in the end everyone will lose. There have been several similar cases when tariffs were imposed by both sides, but they did not last long, commented Rumen Radev.