The most important thing is to have a clear date for the euro

Effective accession to the Eurozone was expected in early 2025, but mid-2025 or early 2026 is now being discussed. For the telecom sector, this uncertainty is unacceptable, it means uncertainty in planning and additional costs for maintaining a double set of systems and processes over a longer period.

We strongly expect the Bulgarian government to clearly state a realistic accession date.

We are working hard on the implementation of all the necessary changes - in the electronic systems and reconfiguration of the software of each operator. These, however, bring with them a number of costs. We are preparing changes to our websites, mobile applications, online stores and all other channels of communication with consumers. We are also preparing retailers to work with both currencies. Employees will provide guidance and assistance to users, which will help build trust in the new currency.

A key focus for us will be the seamless rollout of all changes – a process that should be smooth and understandable for users. Currency conversion rules will be strictly followed. Consumers will not be harmed, as the rounding of prices will be done according to the established mathematical rule to the second decimal. All enterprises in our sector will display prices in BGN and EUR in parallel, so that customers can orientate themselves. What's more, some of the companies plan to soon start displaying their prices in BGN and EUR, even before this becomes mandatory by law.

We expect the government to clearly state a realistic date for accession. We would like to point out that if the euro is introduced from July 2025, in the middle of the accounting year, it will present a serious challenge and we urge the authorities to approach such an option very carefully.