Raising the minimum wage from EUR 363 to EUR 435 is a very high increase, interim Finance Minister Rositsa Velkova told BNR. She exlained that a rise of 5 euros leads to a budget deficit of 25.5 million euros. There should be an increase, but not like this, Ms. Velkova said, reiterating that the caretaker government has no right to submit a state budget to parliament. 

Bulgaria meets the debt and deficit requirements well, although they are currently derogated, interim Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov told BNT. Although inflation is slightly higher, the country is coping well with the criteria for the introduction of the euro. The work to enter the eurozone on January 1, 2024, is ongoing, Pekanov said.