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

Bulgaria could adopt the euro on 1 January 2026, predicts IME

Photo: ЕПА/БГНЕС

On the basis of December inflation data published yesterday by Eurostat, the Institute for Market Economics (IME) forecasts that the country could join the eurozone from 1 January next year.

Compared to December 2024, the average annual inflation in the country is 2.6 per cent, while the lowest in the European Union are: 0.9 per cent in Lithuania, 1 per cent in Finland and 1.1 per cent in Italy. The criterion that Bulgaria has to meet, according to the Maastricht Treaty, is the average of the countries with the lowest inflation plus 1.5 points. This means that Bulgaria's deviation is 0.1 per cent.

"In this sense, as of December 2024, the benchmark has not been met in its pure form," said Petar Ganev of the institute.
There is a parliamentary resolution that obliges Bulgaria to submit a request for an extraordinary assessment within two weeks of formally meeting all the criteria for eurozone membership. The realistic date for joining the single European currency is 1 January 2026, according to the IME.



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

Vazrazhdane party does not want the euro and proposes tying the Bulgarian lev to the dollar

On April 30, a meeting was held in the US Congress building between a delegation from the Vazrazhdane party and Republican MP Keith Self, who is the vice chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the US House of Representatives and chairman of the..

published on 5/1/25 3:15 PM
Todor Kapitanov

CITUB trade union takes firm stand against raising the retirement age in Bulgaria

In Bulgaria, the legislation is so arranged that a nationwide strike cannot be held . This was explained to the Bulgarian National Radio by Todor Kapitanov, vice president of the largest trade union in the country, the Confederation of Independent Trade..

published on 5/1/25 2:25 PM
Arda River

Bulgaria offers Greece a 5-year agreement on the waters of the Arda River

5 years for Bulgaria to provide waters from the Arda River to Greece for irrigation was approved as a proposal to Greece by the Bulgarian government. The draft joint declaration on the use of the waters of the Arda River states that the two sides..

published on 5/1/25 12:02 PM