Paneuropa Bulgaria expresses strong concern over attempts to indefinitely postpone the adoption of the single European currency in Bulgaria.

With the signing of its Accession Treaty to the EU in 2007, Bulgaria also joined the Economic and Monetary Union, thereby committing to adopt the euro following an assessment of its compliance with the convergence criteria.

In February 2025, Bulgaria requested such an assessment from the European Commission and the European Central Bank, who have begun preparing an extraordinary convergence report. At the beginning of June, this report will be presented to the Eurozone member states, who will decide by consensus on Bulgaria’s accession to the single European currency.

In this context, Paneuropa Bulgaria believes that calls for a referendum in the final days before the convergence report send a signal of hesitation, disrupt the process, and postpone Bulgaria’s accession indefinitely. Neither the European Commission nor the European Central Bank would recommend Bulgaria’s entry into the euro area if they determine that there is a lack of long-term consensus and solid political support in the country.

We remind that similar public sentiments were stirred during Bulgaria’s preparation for EU membership, putting its candidacy at risk more than once. Then, as now, democratically elected institutions were expected to demonstrate resolve and leadership in defending the chosen path.

We call on the pro-European parliamentary forces to reject any attempts to divert society from the direction secured through decades of effort and to complete the process of Bulgaria’s integration into the eurozone.