Bulgaria aims to join eurozone

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev here on Thursday said that joining the eurozone is a strategic goal for his country.

Bulgaria's strategic perspective is to deepen its European integration, and it is impossible to happen without joining the eurozone in the future," Radev said at a meeting with European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis.

"It is not a matter of desire, but a goal that must be achieved on the basis of real preparation," Radev said as quoted by his press office.

The president pointed out that his country needed a clear plan of action, an analysis of the commitments made, and a risk assessment of the introduction of the euro, the press office said.

Radev noted that it would be useful for Bulgarians to get acquainted with the experience of other European countries that have gone the same way, the press office said.

It was important to have objective information on how the eurozone would influence the economic development, Radev also said.

Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007. In December 2009, country's Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said the country's strategic goal was to enter the eurozone "in two and a half years to three years," but this idea was abandoned later on due to the world financial crisis.