Bulgaria Gets Set to become 21st Eurozone Member

Bulgaria will meet the requirements to join the eurozone by January, leaving the final decision to Bulgarian politicians, according to the Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB).

BNB data suggest that inflation will fall to a level compatible with euro adoption by January, paving the way for the country to adopt the euro on 1 January 2026, subject to final approval by the European Council.

According to the Governor, the BNB is ready for the currency exchange process. It has been printing euro banknotes for four years and is now producing test batches of Bulgarian euro coins.

Meanwhile, BNB’s Chief Cashier, Stefan Tzvetko, has said that Bulgaria will need 520 tonnes of euro banknotes, equivalent to 25 trucks, for circulation after it joins the eurozone, while the quantity of euro coins will reach 3,600 tons, or 181 trucks. Bulgarian banknotes that will have to be withdrawn from circulation to make room for euro banknotes add up to 642 tonnes, or 32 trucks (which if lined up would stretch across five football fields), while withdrawn Bulgarian coins will amount to 378 trucks full (which would form a column 6.8km long).