Overview

• European Commission’s convergence report found that Bulgaria met all four Maastricht criteria— inflation, public finances, exchange-rate stability and long-term borrowing costs—qualifying it as the eurozone’s 21st member.
• EU leaders will formally endorse the recommendation at a June summit and finance ministers are set to fix the lev-to-euro conversion rate in July.
• Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova announced a nationwide information drive this week to highlight investment and stability gains and to counter misinformation.
• Public scepticism remains high, with half of Bulgarians opposing the switch and thousands protesting in Sofia over fears of price hikes and weak institutional trust.
• Poland stands apart as one of six EU states outside the eurozone, with President Karol Nawrocki reiterating his commitment to preserve the Polish zloty.