Economic prospects for Bulgaria were favourable if the country managed to deal with the pressures stemming from globalisation, International Monetary Fund (IMF) European department head Michael Depler said.

Depler said in an interview for UK company Oxford Busines Group (OBG) that covering inflation requirements in view of Bulgaria’s euro-zone entry was a challenge for Bulgaria.

IMF expects that Bulgaria will succeed in meeting budget deficit and public debt requirements, Depler said.

Depler also focused on steady economic growth, moderate inflation, higher employment figures and income increase.

He said that Bulgarian ruling parties should be careful about the increasing globalisation pressure and the competitiveness measures needed to deal with it.

Macro-economic stability, well-developed infrastructure and education feature among priority spheres the country had to focus on, Depler said.