Bulgaria is more than decades late for the euro due to fumbling and a lack of vision.

There is an option to enter the Eurozone very soon - for example, January 1 next year.

This is what former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Nikolay Vassilev told "This Morning".

According to him, for this purpose we must not have a budget deficit.

"We have to fight inflation and January 2024 Bulgaria can be in the Eurozone.

But we didn't ask for a converged report.

For 15 years, Bulgaria has done a series of stupid things, for example, the official cabinet of the 21st year, without explaining to the media and the public, without having any discussion, postponed the date of January 1, 2023," Vassilev added.

According to him, everything is a matter of political will.

Nikolay Vasilev: The budget for 2023 may not have a deficit

"If there is one, then we will deal with the criteria.

About the deficit - I am for a zero deficit.

I am against any budget deficit because there is no reason for it.

The reason is only in the populist heads of the politicians.

And with regard to inflation, this will remain the only criterion that has not yet been resolved, but with more stable conservative macroeconomic budget policies, inflation may decrease and we could soon meet the criterion," the former economy minister also believes.

According to Vasilev, 

 is 50% Bulgarian product.

"On budget policy, my view is different from that of the current generation of politicians.

I would ban two words - one is deficit and the other is update.

In my opinion, there are no conditions or reasons for the country to have a deficit at the moment.

The country has the best indicators in its history since Khan Asparukh so far.

With the highest levels of gross domestic product, there are no crises - no war, no recession, on the contrary, there is growth, no pandemic, no refugee wave from the southeast, no natural disaster and no alien invasion.

50% of the inflation was brought about by the prices of raw materials around the world and the war, but 50% is a Bulgarian product," Vassilev also said.