site.btaDebate on Bulgaria’s Eurozone Accession Should Continue Beyond January 1st, Deputy Prime Minister Donchev Says

The discussion about the benefits and challenges of Bulgaria's upcoming accession to the eurozone should not be limited to the country’s entry date on January 1st, but must continue beyond it, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Innovation and Growth Tomislav Donchev said at the opening of a discussion titled “The Eurozone as part of the path to economic transformation” on Wednesday.  This is the second debate organized and hosted by the Ministry of Innovation and Growth, part of the National Information Campaign for the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria in January 2026.

Participants in the discussion included Petar Ganev, senior researcher at the Institute for Market Economics, and Ilia Krastev, member of the Board of Directors of the Association for Innovation, Business Excellence, Services and Technology (AIBEST). The forum brought together representatives from government institutions, the business community, chambers of commerce, international financial institutions, academia, the non-governmental sector.

Donchev said that eurozone membership is an opportunity, not a guarantee of success. “The important discussion is how we can take full advantage of this opportunity,” he added. He said that Bulgaria currently faces several paths for its economic development. One option is to continue with modest economic growth of 1.5–2%. Another is to unlock faster growth exceeding 3%.

Donchev stated that Bulgaria has already completed the easier part of its journey but is now approaching the end of the low-cost economic model. Going forward, more complex discussions are needed, particularly around education and the role of the state.

Donchev spoke about the ongoing state-supported efforts to build innovation infrastructure across the country, establish university-based competence centres, and develop 10 industrial zones. He added that more action is needed, such as opening university laboratories to businesses, creating new competence centres, and building an additional 30 industrial zones. He referred to ongoing talks with the Finance Ministry about the introduction of tax incentives to promote research and development. “I hope this becomes a reality within months,” Donchev said.

He reiterated the need for broad political and public consensus to achieve the goal of accelerating economic growth so that Bulgaria’s GDP reaches around 80% of the EU average. According to Donchev, the experience of other EU countries shows that when this ratio surpasses 70%, return migration to the country increases significantly. He stated that Bulgaria’s eurozone accession does not pose any structural risks to the economy.