Bulgaria will join the Eurozone only when it meets the necessary criteria, said Toshko Yordanov, a lawmaker from the “There Is Such a People” (ITN) party, in comments made Thursday.

Responding to remarks by Ivaylo Mirchev, who stated that the opposition would use protests and a no-confidence vote to push for Bulgaria’s Eurozone entry, Yordanov dismissed the claims. According to BGNES, he called the opposition “very entertaining” for its alignment between Kiril Petkov and Delyan Peevski, suggesting they form an “Opposition Council” to decide their next moves.

“I’m not giving advice to the opposition. I could, but I won’t,” Yordanov added.

He labeled as “nonsense” allegations by the “We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria” coalition (PP-DB) that governing coalition parties, particularly the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and ITN, oppose Bulgaria’s Eurozone entry. “The term ‘nonsense’ is precise here. If a country doesn’t meet the criteria, it simply doesn’t meet them,” he said.

Yordanov challenged proponents of immediate Eurozone membership to explain the consequences if Bulgaria applies and is rejected for failing to meet requirements. Such a rejection, he warned, could delay membership by at least two years.

Taking a swipe at the PP-DB, Yordanov compared their rhetoric to communist-era slogans, saying, “PP are the children of those who created the slogan ‘Let’s complete the five-year plan in three years.’ Reality, however, doesn’t care about slogans.”

He reiterated, “Bulgaria will join the Eurozone when it meets the criteria.”