Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria could adopt the euro on 1 January 2026, predicts IME

Photo: ЕПА/БГНЕС

On the basis of December inflation data published yesterday by Eurostat, the Institute for Market Economics (IME) forecasts that the country could join the eurozone from 1 January next year.

Compared to December 2024, the average annual inflation in the country is 2.6 per cent, while the lowest in the European Union are: 0.9 per cent in Lithuania, 1 per cent in Finland and 1.1 per cent in Italy. The criterion that Bulgaria has to meet, according to the Maastricht Treaty, is the average of the countries with the lowest inflation plus 1.5 points. This means that Bulgaria's deviation is 0.1 per cent.

"In this sense, as of December 2024, the benchmark has not been met in its pure form," said Petar Ganev of the institute.
There is a parliamentary resolution that obliges Bulgaria to submit a request for an extraordinary assessment within two weeks of formally meeting all the criteria for eurozone membership. The realistic date for joining the single European currency is 1 January 2026, according to the IME.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Weather continues warm and foggy until midday with sun in the afternoon

On Friday there will be fog in the lowlands and valleys in the morning and until midday. Minimum temperatures 0-5° C., for Sofia around zero. During the day the clouds will begin to disperse and to scatter from the Southwest, and the weather will be..

published on 1/30/25 6:20 PM

Vazrazhdane to request that Finance Minister Petkova be heard in parliament regarding Bulgaria's entry into the Eurozone

The MPs from Vazrazhdane party will request that Minister of Finance Temenuzhka Petkova be heard in parliament regarding Bulgaria's entry into the Eurozone, announced the leader of the party, Kostadin Kostadinov. "We have inside information from..

published on 1/30/25 6:15 PM

The Ruse-Veliko Tarnovo motorway will be built with a new technology

The project for the Ruse-Veliko Tarnovo motorway will undergo changes, but for now, it is not under threat, said Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Ivanov. He checked the progress of the construction of the bypass road around the..

published on 1/30/25 5:01 PM