Bulgaria meets the criteria for Eurozone membership

At the end of 2024, Bulgaria's macroeconomic indicators fully met the Maastricht criteria for Eurozone membership, BGNES informs.

According to Eurostat data, inflation from June to November was below 3%, which is a requirement for adopting the single currency. The other important indicator for entering the Eurozone is the budget deficit, which will also be within 3%. In addition, Bulgaria has the lowest unemployment in recent years of about 4% and the debt to Gross Domestic Product ratio is nearly two times lower than the set criterion of 60%.

The European Commission's forecasts for Bulgaria’s economic development are positive - this year inflation is to decrease to 2.3% and the fiscal deficit is to reach 2.8%. Based on these data, economists believe that Bulgaria can become a member of the Eurozone in the middle of this year or in early 2026.