Bulgaria has its interest and should try as quickly as possible to approach the average European levels in terms of economic productivity and income level. This is what Ivailo Kalfin, former foreign minister, former deputy prime minister and social minister, executive director of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, told BNR. "We shouldn't look at the Eurozone membership as a sporting achievement, because we could be disappointed if it did not happen. We shouldn't sit and wait for a specific date to come. We should start thinking in a different way. The Eurozone provides many opportunities for the economy and we must do everything to take advantage of them," Kalfin said.

In connection with the topic of North Macedonia’s path to EU Membership, he said that the situation should change in two directions - Bulgaria should stop waving its finger and North Macedonia must stop the provocations. "We need to think about how we can live as neighbors, not as countries in conflict," Kalfin added.