The EU gave the green light on Wednesday for Bulgaria to adopt the euro from 1 January 2026, meaning it will become the 21st member of the single currency area.
The European Commission said that Bulgaria had fulfilled the strict criteria “intended to ensure that a country is ready to adopt the euro and that its economy is sufficiently prepared to do so”.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen posted about it on her social media , saying:
Today, Bulgaria is one step closer to adopting the euro.
This will mean more investment and trade with euro area partners, and more stability and prosperity for the Bulgarian people.
Bulgaria will also take its rightful place in shaping euro area decisions. Congratulations!
As a result of this assessment, the Commission has also adopted proposals for a Council Decision and a Council Regulation on euro introduction in Bulgaria on 1 January 2026. The Council of the EU will 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.
Read full Convergence Report 2025 on Bulgaria HERE
9th October 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused the US of being unwilling to help Ukraine after a Russian bomb attack on Thursday killed at least 35 people in the east, sending the two-...
9th October 2026
The US will livestream the Army's upcoming firing squad execution of a gunman who killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in 2009, the Pentagon said, in what would be an unprece...
9th October 2026
Morning Briefing
Malta’s first crematorium approved in Siġġiewi
The Planning Authority has approved Malta’s first full planning application for a crematorium, with the Siġġiewi...
8th October 2026
Morning Briefing
Employers reject claim that private sector drove population growth
Malta Employers has rejected Finance Minister Clyde Caruana’s suggestion that businesses helped ...
25th June 2026
The European Commission has unveiled an ambitious package of tax reforms aimed at simplifying tax rules across the European Union, reducing compliance burdens for businesses and strength...
10th June 2026
The European Union's new Migration and Asylum Pact enters into force on 12 June, ushering in the most significant reform of the bloc's migration framework in years and placing renewed em...
8th October 2026
Oil prices rose nearly 4% on Thursday on persistent worries about supply from the Middle East amid an increase in attacks on shipping in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, while the US c...
7th October 2026
Malta Public Transport will be operating special and additional services for Birgufest on Saturday, 10 October 2026, including night trips to facilitate access to this cultural and histo...
5th August 2026
Artificial intelligence has already transformed industries such as finance and education, but one of its most important tests may come in medicine: discovering new drugs.
Pharmaceutic...
2nd August 2026
Malta’s new pay transparency regulations, which came into effect on the 5th of June, aim to strengthen fairness and equality in the workplace, but employers are warning that the rushed i...
7th October 2026
Malta Public Transport will be operating special and additional services for Birgufest on Saturday, 10 October 2026, including night trips to facilitate access to this cultural and histo...
2nd October 2026
The Malta Institute of Accountants held its 62nd Annual General Meeting on 24th September 2026 at Villa Arrigo, during which seven of its members were elected to its Council.
The elec...
3rd September 2026
Fears of renewed escalation gripped the Middle East on Wednesday after the United States and Iran exchanged their biggest barrage since July, with Washington striking Iran's southern co...
4th August 2026
President Donald Trump announced late Saturday that he had called off planned U.S. strikes on Iran, saying renewed negotiations had raised hopes of easing the conflict and reopening ship...
25th June 2026
At least 32 people have been killed and more than 700 injured after two powerful earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 — struck central Venezuela seconds apart, causing widespread destruct...
25th February 2026
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
9th October 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused the US of being unwilling to help Ukraine after a Russian bomb attack on Thursday killed at least 35 people in the east, sending the two-...
7th October 2026
Russia destroyed an apartment block in northern Ukraine as a birthday "gift" to Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday, after overnight missile and drone strikes killed at ...