25.02.2025
Convergence reports on Bulgaria’s state of preparedness to adopt the euro on 1 January 2026 are expected to come out in June. This was stated by Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov to media. The Prime Minister noted that the process that must be completed is long and involves many steps, including assessments by the European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB), consideration of the issue in the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN), the Eurogroup and the European Parliament. Rossen Jeliazkov emphasized that the assessment is based on objective targets and clear criteria. Meanwhile, a public awareness campaign has been launched in Bulgaria to alleviate the people’s worries about the process.
In his answer to a question about the budget revenue this year, Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov focused on the importance of the performance of the national revenue authorities. He noted that expert estimates point to about a 30% segment of informal economy in Bulgaria. “The aim that we have set is to expose some 10% and thus we will respond to these concerns,” the Prime Minister said.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov noted that Bulgaria upholds a very clear position on this issue and reconfirmed that Bulgarian troops will not be deployed in Ukraine. “The war impacts directly the security architecture on the European continent and in our understanding it is not possible to achieve a lasting and stable peace in Ukraine in the absence of respect for the interest of Ukraine and the involvement of Ukraine and in disregard for the interests of Europe,” Rossen Jeliazkov said further. In his answer to a question from the media, the Prime Minister noted that it is too early to talk about the form of the so-called peacekeeping forces, as a clear framework of how an armistice would look like has not been agreed on yet. “The aim is to achieve a lasting peace and to proceed with the recovery of Ukraine while the security of Europe is ensured,” the Prime Minister said further.
