Joining the Eurozone from January 1, 2026 Remains Bulgaria's Key Priority and Strategic Objective

The European Commission and the European Central Bank will present their extraordinary convergence reports on Bulgaria at the beginning of June, as planned, Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, told BNT on May 13.

Earlier today, Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova reassured European institutions in Brussels that, despite the President’s call for a referendum, the adoption of the euro on January 1, 2026, remains a key priority for the country.

Temenuzhka Petkova - Minister of Finance:
"First and foremost, I must begin by stating that despite the President’s attempts to divert our country from achieving its strategic goal — Eurozone membership — the government and I, as Finance Minister, continue our active efforts to ensure that Bulgaria takes its rightful place in the Eurozone.
The next important step in this process relates to the convergence reports, which we expect to be released at the beginning of June.

The European institutions have confirmed their commitment to following the pre-established schedule regarding the preparation and review of the convergence reports for Bulgaria.
In conclusion, we can say that Bulgaria is moving confidently toward achieving its strategic priority: the country’s accession to the Eurozone as of January 1, 2026 — despite everything."

• Finance Minister Petkova: We Continue Active Efforts for Bulgaria to Take Its Place in the Eurozone

Valdis Dombrovskis - Commissioner for the Euro: "I cannot comment on political developments in Bulgaria, but I did have a discussion with Finance Minister Petkova.
We met together with a representative from the European Central Bank and the President of the Eurogroup.
The message from the Bulgarian government, as well as from the Bulgarian National Bank, is very clear — Bulgarian authorities remain committed to their request for convergence reports.
We at the European Commission, along with the European Central Bank, are continuing work on these reports as scheduled. Our aim is to finalise them at the beginning of June.
The next steps will depend on the content of the report.
Last year, Bulgaria met three of the four criteria. The one criterion we will be closely monitoring in the convergence report — and which is very close to being met — is inflation."

Temenuzhka Petkova - Minister of Finance:
"Today, the good news from Brussels for Bulgaria continues.
Just a few hours ago, the European Commission published its assessment of Bulgaria’s medium-term fiscal-structural plan for the period 2025 to 2028, and the evaluation is positive.
This is an extremely positive development for Bulgaria, as this plan outlines the country’s financial framework for the next three years, and a favourable assessment means that Bulgaria will maintain stable and sustainable public finances."