Overview
- Travelers and residents gain simpler payments as cash exchanges disappear, fees fall, and price comparisons get easier.
- European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde cast euro membership as a path to prosperity and security for Bulgaria.
- President Rumen Radew criticized the process, arguing a referendum should have been held and that leaders ignored citizens.
- Many Bulgarians fear price increases and potential loss of purchasing power following the currency change.
- New Bulgarian euro coins carry national motifs, and their similarity to former lev coins has already prompted confusion reports.