There is a chance that Bulgaria will adopt the euro on 1 January 2026, sources from Brussels said

If Bulgaria meets the eurozone criteria, there is nothing to stop it adopting the euro on 1 January 2026. This is what Brussels sources told BNR correspondent Angelina Piskova. They said that the decision should be taken by the EU Council. This is expected to happen in the summer. So far, the country does not only meet the price stability criterion.

Bulgaria has already announced its intention to request an extraordinary convergence report on the fulfilment of the euro area criteria. Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said this would happen after the Eurogroup meeting on 17 February.

At that meeting, the new Bulgarian government and its finance minister, Temenuzhka Petkova, intend to inform their euro area counterparts how the country is meeting the criteria. But no decision will be taken. Nor is there a deadline for assessing Bulgaria's readiness.

In any case, it will be necessary to wait for Eurostat's assessment, which will be published in the spring.