“Bulgaria, see you soon”: What are the reactions from Brussels to the positive reports on the euro?

Bulgaria is ready to become the 21st member of the eurozone. It meets all the necessary economic criteria, and we therefore propose to give the green light to continue the process of introducing the euro in Bulgaria.

This is stated in a publication by the European Commission (EC) on its Facebook page.

The Council (of the EU) will discuss our proposal and take a final decision after hearing the opinions of the European Parliament and the European Central Bank. Bulgaria, see you soon in our common currency!" the publication adds.

At noon today, the European Commission published its extraordinary convergence report, according to which Bulgaria is ready to adopt the euro.

The same is stated in the assessments of the European Central Bank (ECB). According to both institutions, our country meets all the criteria, including legal compliance, sustainable public finances, price stability, etc.

“Congratulations, Bulgaria!” said EC President Ursula von der Leyen.

According to her, the single European currency is “a symbol of European strength and unity” and with its introduction, Bulgaria will take “its rightful place in shaping decisions at the heart of the eurozone.”

Thanks to the euro, Bulgaria's economy will become stronger and will benefit from more trade with euro area partners, foreign direct investment, access to finance, quality jobs, and real incomes," von der Leyen added.

European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification Valdis Dombrovskis also reacted to the news.

He shared his experience of introducing the currency in Latvia, pointing out that at the time many people questioned the need for this decision.

However, the euro has brought “many benefits” to the country and significantly improved the daily lives of Latvians.

When people see the benefits of the euro in their daily lives, the European currency becomes even more popular. For example, in January 2014, when Latvia joined the euro, only 55% supported it, while now it enjoys huge support – 83% of Latvians surveyed in April 2025 expressed a positive opinion of the euro," Domrovskis said.

Recently, the governor of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), Dimitar Radev, predicted that just one year after Bulgaria introduces the euro, attitudes towards it will improve significantly. "All new member states entered with the same ratio of support and skepticism, and 1-3 years later, support is over 70%," Radev said at the end of May.

More work to be done

However, European Commissioner Dombrovskis warned that “if the transition to the euro in Bulgaria is approved by the eurozone countries, it will require an effort by the entire nation.”

Ensuring price transparency and combating price gouging will require exceptional efforts. Previous practices and data from other eurozone countries show that this is entirely achievable, and price increases resulting from previous euro adoptions have been minimal," Dombrovskis said.

Nevertheless, he praised Bulgaria, saying that “joining the eurozone is the best investment” for its future, because it will make the country stronger and the currency will bring benefits for decades to come.

This text was translated by DeepL Translator.