site.btaTwo Committees Start Collecting Signatures in Support of Referendum against Euro Changeover

As this country hopes to adopt the euro as a legal tender at the start of 2024, two initiative committees announced Tuesday the start of sign-ins for two separate referendums on the euro changeover in Bulgaria. Both committees held news conferences in the BTA National Press Club in Sofia.

One initiative committee is backed by the nationalist party Vazrazhdane and was presented to the press by the Vazrazhdane secretary in Sofia, Deyan Nikolov. The question they intend to ask in the possible referendum is "Do you agree that Bulgaria should keep the lev as the only legal tender by 2043?".

Vazrazhdane argues that Bulgaria won't be ready to adopt the euro for another 20 years – hence the year in the question for the referendum.

The organizers hope to collect over 400,000 signatures in support of the referendum in the next three months and have the referendum before the target date of accession to the euro zone in January 2024.

Nikolov reiterated his party's well-known stance that entry in the euro zone means loss of national sovereignty; that it is irreversible; that inflation will go through the roof.

The other initiative committee intends to asks Bulgarian people about more things than just the euro change over. It asks three questions which also suggest keeping coal plants and banning what is called "LGBTI propaganda". 

Here are the questions: 1. Do you agree that the euro changeover should not happen before the average income in Bulgaria catch up with those in the EU? 2. Do you support keeping coal mining and coal power plans, as well as the development of the nuclear energy industry, including by building new capacities at Belene and Kozloduy? 3. Do you support banning by a law LGBTI propaganda in kindergartens, schools and cultural institutions, as well as in all official policies of the Republic of Bulgaria?

The two initiative committees fought over the ownership of the referendum against the euro changeover.

The Vazrazhdane-backed committee called the other committee's news conference on the same day and the same place "a sabotage". Their rivals said that no political party has the right to claim any exclusive rights over the anti-euro campaign.