site.btaCoordination Centre on Euro Adoption to Hold Regular Briefing

The Coordination Centre on Euro Adoption will hold its regular briefing on Tuesday at 11:00 am at the Council of Ministers building in Sofia, the institution’s press service said. During the briefing, Vladimir Ivanov, Chair of the State Commission on Commodity Exchanges and Wholesale Markets and of the Coordination Centre, will present the latest data on the process of introducing the euro in Bulgaria.

This will be the first briefing of the Coordination Centre after the end of the dual circulation period of the lev and the euro, which concluded on January 31, 2026.

At the last briefing held on January 27, Ivanov said that the process of withdrawing lev banknotes from circulation was progressing quite well, citing data from the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) showing that 67% of lev cash in circulation had been withdrawn. According to the latest BNB data as of January 30, 2026, this share has now reached 75%.

It also became clear that there have been reports against small retail outlets refusing payments with EUR 200 banknotes. Ivanov said that banknotes of this denomination are legal tender. Georgi Chanev, Chief Director of the Issue Department at the BNB, explained in turn that if a customer wishes to pay for a low-value item, such as a cup of coffee, with a EUR 200 banknote, the trader may refuse, as this would violate the principle of good faith.