Introduction of the euro puts an end to the currency board

January 1, 2026 marks the end of the currency board and the beginning of a monetary policy that the central bank will follow from the European Central Bank, where Bulgaria will have its own voice. This was what member of the Governing Council of the Bulgarian National Bank, Lyubomir Karimanski, told BNT.

He expressed concerns about the EU's policy towards armament by redirecting spending at the expense of other important sectors such as agriculture. According to Karimanski, the euro should be accepted as a tool, not a panacea for the Bulgarian economy, with the more important issue now being the preservation of fiscal discipline.

Karimanski expressed doubts that this year's budget would be implemented within the set parameters and added that it is unclear what the government's priorities are, now that the goal of joining the eurozone has been achieved.