“I still believe that the majority of Bulgarians want to be part of the eurozone,” MEP Bitanov said. “I’m not just blaming Russian propaganda here. Yes, it exists. But it’s the Bulgarian politicians who are generally lagging behind.”
Experts and officials said that apart from its track record in controlling inflation, Bulgaria was in a relatively favorable position to join the eurozone.
The country’s currency, the lev, has been pegged to the euro since 1999 and Bulgaria has been a member of the EU’s banking union since 2020, but the move signals a “very clear commitment” to membership. said Rep. Maydell.
Despite concerns about Bulgaria’s accession timeline, senior EU officials like Donohoe continue to beat the drum.
Last month, heads of government praised Bulgaria’s progress, and eurozone countries agreed.
But despite strong EU public support for the January 2025 target, senior officials have privately acknowledged that it is almost certainly not going to happen.
One of them said: “That’s out of the question.”
