Overview

• Thousands of Bulgarians took to the streets May 31 in Sofia and other major cities to demand a referendum on adopting the euro.
• The European Commission is expected to approve Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone in early June, four days after the latest protests.
• Nearly half of Bulgarians oppose the one-to-one lev-to-euro conversion, fueled by fears of rising inflation and loss of financial control.
• President Rumen Radev’s referendum proposal was rejected by the pro-EU parliamentary majority as unconstitutional.
• The far-right Vazrazhdane party has organised rallies and spread false claims that euro adoption would lead to confiscation of savings.