site.btaBulgaria Maintains Price Stability in Line with Eurozone Criteria in July

In July 2025, inflation in Bulgaria continues to meet the price stability requirement under the Maastricht criteria for joining the Eurozone, according to the latest Eurostat data published Wednesday.

Under the Maastricht criteria, a country’s average inflation over the past 12 months must not exceed by more than 1.5 percentage points that of the three best-performing EU member states in terms of price stability.

Bulgaria’s 12-month average inflation, measured by the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), stood at 2.8% in July, unchanged from June.

The EU member states with the lowest average inflation last month were Ireland (1.2%), France (1.3%), and both Italy and Finland (1.6%). This set the July reference value at 2.86%, the same as in June. With inflation at 2.8%, Bulgaria continues to meet the price stability criterion.

On July 8, Bulgaria received final approval from the EU Council and European Parliament to join the euro area as its 21st member on January 1, 2026.