SOFIA – Bulgaria’s adoption of the euro in 2026 remains a realistic goal, but there is still work to be done, European Commissioner for Economy Valdis Dombrovskis said before the start of the Eurogroup meeting on Monday.
Dombrovskis said eurozone finance ministers are expecting Bulgarian Minister Temenuzhka Petkova to report on Bulgaria’s progress in adopting the euro.
Bulgaria’s problem remains the slightly higher inflation of 2.6% in January, which exceeds the Maastricht reference value by only 0.03%.
Meanwhile, Bulgarian National Bank Governor Dimitar Radev has called for the institution to be protected from political pressure after activists from the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party invaded the bank’s building on Monday.
“We call on the parliament and other competent institutions to support with all the rigor of the law the right of the BNB and other independent institutions to exercise their statutory mandate without political pressure,” the BNB said in a statement after the pro-Russian party activists invaded.
The pro-Russian radical party, which is the fourth largest force in the Bulgarian parliament, claims without evidence that the central bank and a team from the International Monetary Fund are preparing to “falsify” economic data to help Bulgaria meet the criteria for joining the eurozone in 2026.
A week ago, employees of the National Statistical Institute complained that they had received threats from Vazrazhdane activists. So far, the party has not presented any evidence of “falsification” of statistical data on the country’s budget and economy.
Bulgaria is trying to become a member of the eurozone from January 1, 2026, which is seen by pro-European parties in the country as a key geopolitical process of bonding with the core of the EU.
Vazrazhdane actions provoked a sharp reaction from the political leader Delyan Peevski, who is sanctioned by the US and UK and heads the fifth-strongest political force in the country – DPS – New Beginning.
Peevski threatened party’s leader Kostadin Kostadinov that he would take matters into his own hands if Bulgarian institutions did not react to protect the central bank.
“The state, in the face of its institutions, must oppose these fascist anarchists and no one should bend and be afraid of Kostadinov’s gang. If the Ministry of Interior and the prosecutor’s office do not cope, it must be certain that New Beginning will oppose and cope, will protect statehood and return the state to the people,” Peevski’s party commented.
In the last two years, Peevski has been one of the most vocal defenders of Bulgaria’s accession to the eurozone and sending military aid to Ukraine, but at the same time he is proposing an investigation into the influence of George Soros’ activities in the country.
(Krassen Nikolov | Euractiv.bg)
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Publish date : 2025-02-17 22:13:00
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The post Dombrovskis: Bulgaria has still a chance to join the eurozone in 2026 first appeared on Love Europe.
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Author : love-europe
Publish date : 2025-02-18 07:02:13
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