Bulgaria has met all the criteria and is ready to adopt the single European currency on 1 January 2026.

This was made clear in the convergence report of the European Commission (EC), BGNES reported.

This readiness has been confirmed by Bulgarian and European statistics. Inflation in Bulgaria is 2.8%, which is less than 1.5% above the average inflation rate in the three best-performing countries. Our country also meets the other criteria related to the stability of public finances and the exchange rate.
The Eurogroup finance ministers will examine the EC and ECB reports at a meeting on 19-20 June in Luxembourg. They will also be discussed by EU leaders at the EU summit on 26-27 June.
On 30 June, the European Commission will make a proposal for fixing the exchange rate, which is not expected to differ from the current rate set by the currency board.
The final decision on our accession should come on 8 July, when the Eurogroup countries adopt the legislative decisions on the adoption of the euro in Bulgaria.
This will make our country a full member of the European Union, after we joined the Schengen area earlier this year.
BGNES reminds that it took Bulgaria just under 30 years to fully join the most prosperous and desirable bloc in the world. It all started with the reforms in 1997, when we agreed to pursue a targeted policy for our accession to the EU.
In 2005, we signed the accession treaty, which clearly states that our full membership will come after we adopt the single European currency.
On 1 January 2007, we were accepted into the European Union. However, our country was subject to monitoring in the area of justice due to problems with the rule of law. It took more than a decade to convince our European allies that we met the necessary criteria.
Our accession to the EU was a catalyst for our economic development. GDP exceeded €100 billion and we are significantly ahead of our neighbours in the Western Balkans, who still have to travel the difficult road we embarked on in 1997.
According to most analysts, Bulgaria has never lived as well as it has in recent years, and this can be seen at every turn. The increased prosperity of Bulgarians is a result of our EU membership. І BGNES