Responding to a question by Investor.bg, BNB says that given the lev’s fixed exchange rate, delaying the entry into ERM II cannot create direct financial and macroeconomic risks for the Bulgarian economy. Could the opposite happen, however? Is it possible for ERM II membership to be negative for Bulgaria if it comes during unfavourable times for the European economy? To put it in different words, should we be in a hurry for the eurozone or should this goal be consistent with the conditions and trends for the time being? We should follow our strategic plan with a focus on the quality of the process. Due to the nature of our monetary regime, based on a fixed exchange rate, as well as our firm commitment to not change it until country’s eurozone accession, our currency being part of ERM II will not lead to any changes in our macroeconomic position. The direct effects will be rather positive, such as increasing Bulgaria’s credit rating and improving the overall investment environment. Spanish economist Daniel Lacalle told Bloomberg TV Bulgaria in an interview that he believes the ECB’s policy of stimulation has long exhausted its efficiency and the only thing it is currently doing is to transfer funds from productive to non-productive sectors of the economy. Lacalle also recalls that negative interest rates have played a significant role in Japan’s difficulties with inflation and growth. What’s your opinion? Is there a risk for the eurozone to get into the Japanese scenario? The global economic environment is far from being conventional.
However, owing to the strong M3 growth in 2001, there is still a lot of liquidity in the economy. We therefore have to monitor monetary dynamics closely in the coming months. The persistence of excess liquidity in the economy could become a concern once the economic recovery in the euro area gathers pace. Turning to economic developments, the latest information has reinforced our expectation that real GDP growth in the euro area will recover in 2002 and that, later in the year, it should again be back in line with potential growth. The recovery should be supported by both domestic and external factors, in an environment in which financial conditions are favourable and where there are no major imbalances in the euro area. However, at the current juncture, some uncertainty still remains regarding the strength of the recovery. As regards price developments, there is no evidence thus far of a significant upward impact on the overall price level from the euro cash changeover. While some shorter-term effects cannot be ruled out, there is reason to believe that the introduction of the euro banknotes and coins will strengthen competition, thereby supporting the maintenance of price stability over the medium term. This notwithstanding, HICP inflation is currently somewhat higher than was expected a few months ago, owing partly to a significant rise in oil prices.