Bulgaria ready to adopt the euro in 2026, European Commission says

Wednesday 4 June 2025

People watch the rising of a large Bulgarian flag during preparations ahead of the inauguration of an 111 m / 364 ft flagpole at Rozhen meadows near the city of Smolyan, some 80km south of Plovdiv, on July 13, 2023. The 111-metre (364-foot) pole, inaugurated in the Rhodope mountains by hoisting a 1,110 square-metre flag, is meant to symbolise Bulgaria's territory of 111,000 square kilometres, and is the highest such mast in the European Union. Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP

The European Commission announced on Wednesday that Bulgaria meets the conditions for adopting the euro on 1 January 2026.

This would make it the 21st member of the Eurozone, three years after Croatia.

A formal decision will be made on 8 July by EU finance ministers.

No opposition is expected since the country of 6.4 million inhabitants, the poorest member of the EU, meets all technical criteria.

The European Central Bank also issued a positive opinion on Wednesday.