The Constitutional Court (CC) rejected the request of Members of Parliament to declare unconstitutional the Parliament's decision not to decide on holding a national referendum on the introduction of the euro.
The CC's website states that the court rejected the request of 51 Members of Parliament from the 51st National Assembly to establish the unconstitutionality of: "Decision of the National Assembly not to decide on holding a national referendum on the proposal submitted by the President on May 12, 2025 with the question: 'Do you agree that Bulgaria should introduce the single European currency 'euro' in 2026?'" As well as to establish the compliance of "the question thus posed 'Do you agree that Bulgaria should introduce the single European currency 'euro' in 2026?'" with the Constitution, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (EU) and the Law on the Direct Participation of Citizens in State Power and Local Self-Government.
All constitutional judges participated in the session. The ruling was adopted unanimously. Judges Yanaki Stoilov and Sasho Penov signed the opinion.
The reasoning states that in the case under consideration, the contested decision of the National Assembly constitutes a refusal to adopt a decision to hold a national referendum with a question, the pronouncement on which cannot produce legal consequences, since one possible answer (Bulgaria not to introduce the euro in 2026) cannot revise a decision that is not taken unilaterally by the Republic of Bulgaria, and the legal consequences of the other possible answer (Bulgaria to introduce the euro in 2026) have already occurred.
For the same reasons, a decision of the National Assembly to hold a referendum with such a proposed question would also not be able to produce the legal effect that the proposal for holding a referendum aims at: deciding the question of whether the euro should be introduced in 2026.
Therefore, there is no constitutional dispute that can be a valid subject of proceedings before the Constitutional Court, and the request under consideration in this part is inadmissible, the CC ruling states.
Regarding the second part of the request, the CC says that a request to the court to rule separately on the compliance with the Constitution of a question contained in a proposal for holding a national referendum cannot be the subject of a review for constitutionality by the Constitutional Court, apart from the ruling on the decision of the National Assembly on the proposal for holding a national referendum with the relevant question, regardless of the content of that decision - to hold a referendum or to reject the proposal.
The court adds that, therefore, a separate discussion of the second request of the applicant outside the assessment of the admissibility of challenging the decision of the National Assembly is unfounded.
The Constitutional Court states that for the above reasons, the request should not be admitted for consideration on the merits.
BTA recalls that in early December, the Parliament rejected the President's proposal for a referendum on the European currency. Subsequently, the leader of "Vazrazhdane" Kostadin Kostadinov said in the corridors of Parliament that the party would file a complaint with the Constitutional Court regarding the President's proposal for a referendum on the euro, which was rejected by the Parliament.
Parliament rejected President Rumen Radev's proposal to hold a national referendum with the question: "Do you agree that Bulgaria should introduce the European currency 'euro' in 2026?" After re-voting, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Raya Nazaryan, announced that the Parliament's decision to reject the proposal for a referendum would be published in the "State Gazette".
On May 23, President Rumen Radev referred the Constitutional Court for a mandatory interpretation of the Constitution and the declaration of nullity of the refusal of the then Speaker of Parliament, Natalia Kiseleva, to put for consideration by the National Assembly the proposal for holding a national referendum with the question "Do you agree that Bulgaria should introduce the single European currency 'euro' in 2026?" On May 13, Natalia Kiseleva issued an order, returning as inadmissible the President's proposal with a request for holding a national referendum. On June 10, the CC admitted for consideration part of the request of President Rumen Radev in connection with the decision of Natalia Kiseleva.