Overview

• The Ecofin Council and European Parliament granted definitive approval on July 8, 2025, through legal acts that set Bulgaria’s entry into the Eurozone.
• Dual-currency pricing will begin in August 2025 and will culminate in full euro adoption on January 1, 2026, making Bulgaria the Eurozone’s 21st member.
• Euroscepticism remains strong with recent surveys showing 50 percent opposition and thousands of protesters in Sofia warning of higher living costs.
• President Rumen Radev’s proposed referendum on the euro was rejected by the Constitutional Court, clearing the path for the planned transition.
• Since joining ERM II in 2020, Bulgaria has met the EU’s convergence criteria and hopes that eurozone membership will bolster economic stability and investment.