SOFIA, July 8 (Reuters) - Bulgaria will apply to join the pre-euro ERM-2 waiting room in November and keep its currency peg to the euro until joining the eurozone, the prospective finance minister in the next government said on Wednesday.
Simeon Djankov, a World Bank economist, said devaluing the lev peg to the euro in response to the global crisis was out of the question. The next government will implement other measures to fight recession and maintain fiscal stability, he said.
"Definitely, with 100 percent certainty, Bulgaria will maintain the currency peg until joining the eurozone," Djankov told Reuters in an interview.
"The next government will launch more active lobbying, and what is more important it will submit an application for ERM-2 entry," he said. "In November, it is realistic to submit the application."
Djankov is tipped to become finance minister in the government of the centre-right GERB party that won a July 5 parliamentary election. (Reporting by Anna Mudeva; Editing by Ron Askew)