Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Business suffers severe damage from Bulgaria's delayed membership in the Eurozone and Schengen

Bulgaria's Minister of Finance Assen Vassilev
Photo: BGNES-archive

''The loss from Bulgaria's delayed membership in the Eurozone and Schengen is between 4% and 5% of the country's GDP'', Bulgaria’s Minister of Finance Assen Vassilev said in an interview for Nova TV. ''The business loses between EUR 250 million and EUR 500 million just from currency conversion. Separately, delaying eurozone membership leads to higher interest rates and less investment'', Minister Vassilev said. 

The losses stemming from Bulgaria’s delayed membership in Schengen are also huge, Minister Vassilev said with regard to the government’s draft decree, according to which Bulgaria should include in an official document the date January 1, 2025, as a target date for adopting the euro. Assen Vassilev said that this act is necessary, because the caretaker cabinet had not written down the date January 1, 2024, as the target date for Eurozone membership, and because it had drafted a budget with a 6.4% deficit.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgaria and Japan deepen economic cooperation

The Bulgarian Investment Agency (BIA) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) are signing a memorandum of understanding that will give new impetus to the trade and economic relations between Bulgaria and Japan. The two countries are seeking..

published on 6/25/25 10:51 AM

BNB: Household bank loans in Bulgaria increase by over 20% year-on-year

According to data from the Bulgarian National Bank, household bank loans in Bulgaria surpassed €25.5 billion mark , reaching €25.59 billion by the end of May 2025. The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) reported that the total loan amount had increased by..

published on 6/24/25 4:13 PM

Labour force from the Bulgarian diaspora – a good idea, but it will not solve existing problems

A number of institutions – the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the Employment Agency, the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad and the Ministry of Interior, as well as members of parliament, have made a clear commitment – ​​to..

published on 6/17/25 4:05 PM