President Rumen Radev, the Speaker of the National Assembly Raya Nazaryan, and the outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov highlighted the adoption of the euro as the national currency in their New Year's messages. As of today, Bulgaria is the 21st member of the Eurozone.
The decision to adopt the single European currency is a strategic choice at a contentious moment, President Rumen Radev said in his New Year's address to the nation. The introduction of the euro is the last milestone of Bulgaria's integration into the European Union – a place that is rightfully ours with the achievements of our millennia-old culture and the civilizational contribution of our country, the head of state noted. My conviction is that the abandonment of our national currency should have happened after a consultation with the people, but those in power did not want to hear the citizens, the president also said.
For Bulgaria, 2026 is a turning point, because it marks the full membership of our country in the Eurozone, which will allow it to take its rightful place in the common European family, wrote the Speaker of Parliament Raya Nazaryan on Facebook. Let this new stage bring us stability, a higher standard of living, a stronger economy and self-confidence of a nation that builds its future with vision and unity, Raya Nazaryan wished.
We are welcoming the New Year 2026 as a member of the Eurozone – a strategic step that brings greater security, financial stability and more opportunities for citizens and businesses, said the outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov in a greeting on the occasion of the New Year 2026, published on the Council of Ministers' Facebook profile. This is a solid foundation for higher incomes, a more competitive economy and sustainable development, Zhelyazkov also said.
The adoption of the euro comes exactly 19 years after our country's accession to the European Union. On this occasion, a 3D mapping dedicated to the single currency was projected on the facade of the Bulgarian National Bank.