site.btaEurogroup President: Support For Euro in Countries Using Euro Exceeds 80%

Support for the euro in the countries that use it exceeds 80%, Eurogroup President and Irish Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said during a high-level conference, titled “Bulgaria on the Doorstep of the Eurozone,” organized by the Finance Ministry and the Bulgarian National Bank.

According to him, one of the main reasons for this high level of support is that, in a rapidly changing world, the euro helps foster closer cooperation among countries in addressing current challenges.

Donohoe outlined three factors that can further increase satisfaction with the euro. The first is the expansion of the euro area with new members - Croatia and Bulgaria - which strengthens efforts to maintain stable public finances. The second factor is the ongoing work to promote investment and ensure fiscal sustainability. The third is the implementation of key future projects such as the Savings and Investments Union and the introduction of the digital euro.

The digital euro is Europe’s answer to the global need for currencies to have a digital future, Donohoe said. He noted that the Eurogroup has already taken the necessary political decisions, and the current Danish Presidency of the EU is preparing the legal framework for the project.

The Eurogroup President also drew attention to the importance of the informal meetings of the finance ministers of the euro area, in which Bulgaria’s Minister of Finance, Temenuzhka Petkova, will soon be a full member, as a reminder of the shared responsibility among the countries using the euro and of the advantages that can be gained through their joint work. Combined with the formal mechanisms, these meetings play a key role in advancing major projects, he noted.

Donohoe added that all macroeconomic discussions should place an emphasis on the people who use the euro, including the citizens of Bulgaria, who will become part of the euro area on January 1, 2026, while constantly reminding that the single currency brings stability, convenience, and greater security for small and medium-sized economies in the face of global challenges.

The conference “Bulgaria on the Doorstep of the Eurozone” is part of the communication campaign for the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria as of January 1, 2026.

Other participants in the forum include Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, and Bulgaria’s Minister of Finance Temenuzhka Petkova.