October 8 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria’s inflation will quicken to 8.0% this year from 6.5% for 2006, Economy Minister Petar Dimitrov said on Monday.
“International analysts expect that inflation will be about 8.0% [in 2007]. The government's expecations are similar,” Dimitrov told reporters.
Last month the International Monetary Fund raised its forecast for Bulgaria’s 2007 end-inflation to around 8.0% from the earlier projected 4.4%.
Rising food prices fueled the country’s eight-month inflation through August to 7.5%.
Bulgaria wants to enter the euro-zone early next decade and high inflation is seen as its major obstacle to adopting the EU common currency.