site.btaBNB to Issue Two Commemorative, Five Collector Euro Coins in 2027

The Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) said here on Friday that it will issue two commemorative and five collector euro coins in 2027, according to the central bank's Coin Programme for 2027, approved by the BNB Governing Council on July 7. 

The programme envisages the release in January of a silver EUR 10 collector coin dedicated to St Tsar Peter I. In April, the BNB will issue a silver EUR 10 coin marking the 150th anniversary of the Bulgarian Volunteer Corps. A copper EUR 5 coin commemorating the 125th anniversary of the birth of writer Angel Karaliychev is scheduled for August. In September, the central bank plans to issue a gold EUR 100 coin dedicated to the Holy Martyrs Sophia, Faith, Hope and Love. The final collector coin of 2027, a silver EUR 10 coin dedicated to Bulgarian Revival-period drinking water fountains, is scheduled for release in November.

In May 2027, the BNB will also issue two commemorative EUR 2 coins, one marking the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria's accession to the European Union and the other dedicated to the Bulgarian oil-bearing rose. 

The 2027 programme provides for two commemorative coins, compared with one planned for 2026, dedicated to the Bulgarian alphabet. Under the BNB's 2026 Coin Programme, that coin is due to enter circulation in the second half of the year.

The design of the first Bulgarian commemorative euro coin sparked controversy after a document published by the Council of the European Union on May 29 revealed that a euro area member state had objected to the proposed design. According to the document, Bulgaria submitted the design on May 20 under Regulation (EU) No. 729/2014, and an unnamed member state lodged an objection on May 27. Under the regulation, euro area countries may object to a proposed design if they believe it could provoke adverse reactions among their citizens.

Responding to a BTA inquiry in mid-June, the BNB said that the design of the first Bulgarian commemorative euro coin dedicated to the Bulgarian alphabet "is not within the competence of the Eurosystem and is not part of the coordination procedures between the national central banks and the European Central Bank."

The central bank added that the objection to the design "did not originate from a central bank or another Eurosystem institution but was expressed at government level within a procedure coordinated by the European Commission."

In an interview with BTA in early July, BNB Governor Dimitar Radev said the central bank would make no further comments until the procedure concerning the coin had been completed.

"What I can state unequivocally is that the BNB has fulfilled all its responsibilities in this process in full compliance with the legal and procedural requirements," he said.

The BNB is also scheduled to issue the remaining two of the five collector coins planned for 2026, in August and October. They will be a silver coin dedicated to the Transfiguration Monastery and a gold coin dedicated to St John of Rila.

The BNB Governing Council has also approved preliminary coin programmes for 2028 and 2029. The preliminary programme for 2028 envisages the issuance of both a commemorative and a collector coin marking the 150th anniversary of Bulgaria's Liberation. The preliminary programme for 2029 includes a collector coin dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Bulgarian National Bank.

All euro area member states are entitled to issue up to two commemorative EUR 2 coins per year. These coins are legal tender throughout the euro area. Collector coins, by contrast, are legal tender only in the issuing country.