site.btaCentral Bank Governor: Bulgaria's Joining Eurozone Is Expected and Deserved

In an interview for BTA on Tuesday, Bulgarian National Bank Governor Dimitar Radev said that the decision of the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament for Bulgaria to join the euro area in 2026 marks the country's final phase of preparations. He described their decision as expected and fully deserved, as it "confirms the right strategic choice" and is the result of years of efforts at many levels.

Minting Bulgarian euro coins begins this week, Radev reported. Key processes of the currency changeover, the technical preparation of the systems and the information campaign are being activated in cooperation with the government, the European Central Bank, and the European Commission.

The BNB Governor said that the matter of fiscal stability is now on the agenda. He stated that the budget is the main topic to focus on and added that maintaining a stable fiscal position is key within the euro area.

The BNB will become part of the Eurosystem, the institutional framework of the European Central Bank and the national central banks of the euro area.

Radev described euro area membership as "a strategic choice that brings stability, confidence and access to powerful financial resources". If Bulgaria manages to use these opportunities with vision, it has a real prospect of becoming a rich European country, he concluded.