site.btaUPDATED Euro Changeover Not Among Bulgaria’s Future Risks, Deputy PM Donchev Believes

The introduction of the euro in Bulgaria on January 1, 2026, is not among the risks that the future holds, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Innovation and Growth Tomislav Donchev said here on Tuesday. He was speaking at the opening of a discussion on “The Eurozone – Challenges and New Opportunities”, hosted by the Ministry of Innovation and Growth as part of the public information campaign led by the Ministry of Finance and the Bulgarian National Bank ahead of the planned euro changeover.

Donchev stated: “The transition from the present to the future is full of prejudice. I’m not claiming that our future is without risks. There are many. Humanity, civilization, democracies around the world are under threat from various dangers; the security environment has deteriorated; our societies, particularly in democratic states, are deeply fragmented; we face climate change and environmental pollution. Our political systems do not meet the demands of our societies and economies. These are the risks we must confront and manage. But adopting the euro is not among them.”

According to him, being strong does not mean being isolated. “To reject the euro on the grounds that it isn’t Bulgarian is like refusing antibiotics because they were made in Switzerland,” he added.

The Ministry also used the occasion to unveil its artificial assistant, Mir@, who will support the Ministry in its public communications. 

Donchev described AI and the country's upcoming eurozone membership as a possible and powerful accelerator of Bulgaria's economic growth. "What they have in common is that they have a huge potential to be a powerful accelerator of growth." As a leading argument related to the euro, he noted the credibility of the single currency, which is much greater than that generated by the currency of a small country, be it tied to the euro.

On the topic of AI, the Innovation Minister expressed the view that there is soon to be a division of countries and societies into two categories - those that can produce and sell expensive AI-based services and others that will be customers. "I very much want us to be able to provide such services," he noted, and went on to say that the process will not be painless given the expected turmoil in the labour market.