Joining the euro area could turn Bulgaria into a bridge between Europe and the Middle East and a model for the Western Balkan countries, Dimitar Brankov, Deputy Chairman of the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA), told a press conference regarding Bulgaria’s considering joining ERM II and the euro area, FOCUS News Agency reported. According to Brankov, recent polling data show that Bulgarian society is poorly informed about the functioning of the euro area and the euro in general, with over 69% of respondents saying that they do not have enough information. He discarded appeals for holding a national referendum on the accession to the euro area as legally unfounded, stressing that with its accession to the EU, Bulgaria acquired both the right and the obligation to join the euro area at some point.