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The European Commission and European Central Bank’s recommendations for Bulgaria to join the Eurozone as the 21st member state by January 1 2026 have been welcomed by leading MEPs.
“We support Bulgaria’s entry in the Eurozone and expect our potential new member to contribute to the success of the common European currency”, said EPP members Eva Maydell and Markus Ferber.
Their comments come after the European Commission concluded that Bulgaria is ready to adopt the euro as of 1 January 2026 – a move it has called a key milestone.
This assessment is set out in the 2025 Convergence Report, prepared at the request of the Bulgarian authorities and marks a critical and historic step on Bulgaria’s journey towards euro adoption.
On Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission said: “The euro is a tangible symbol of European strength and unity. Today, Bulgaria is one step closer to its adoption as currency.”
“Thanks to the euro, Bulgaria’s economy will become stronger, with more trade with euro area partners, foreign direct investment, access to finance, quality jobs and real incomes. Bulgaria will take its rightful place in shaping the decisions at the heart of the euro area.”
Speaking also on Wednesday, Maydell, EPP Group’s chief negotiator on the accession of Bulgaria to the Eurozone, said, “I welcome the positive assessment of the Convergence Reports.”
“This is not a sudden move – it reaffirms that Bulgaria fulfils all the legal and technical criteria for joining the single currency. Bulgaria’s entry into the Eurozone on 1st January 2026 will be a carefully considered step that strengthens economic stability, reinforces trust in our common currency, and secures Bulgaria’s place at the heart of the European project.”
“Bulgaria has gone a long way, showed continued and firm commitment to be part of the Eurozone and is fulfilling all necessary the technical criteria to join the common currency”, added Ferber, the EPP Group’s Spokesman in the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee.
“Of course, we have to be fully aware that the introduction of the Euro requires a stable political and societal support”, emphasised Ferber. “If you force Bulgaria into the Euro against the will of a majority of the population, more people might turn away from Europe and towards Russia. Therefore, it is important that the government invests effort now to convince Bulgarian citizens about the advantages of joining the Euro.”
The Council of the EU will now take the final decisions on Bulgaria’s euro adoption, following discussions in the Eurogroup and the European Council, and after the European Parliament and the ECB have delivered their opinions.
