Bulgaria will meet the price stability criterion for joining the eurozone without the need for subjective calculations, said the Institute for Market Economics (IME), which refers to inflation data in recent months.

Following a positive assessment of the medium-term fiscal program and official figures showing a deficit amounting to 3% of the GDP for 2024, the country is expected to receive a positive assessment in the upcoming convergence report, the experts note.

According to the IME’s analysis, the average annual inflation in Bulgaria remained at 2.7% in April, staying within the upper limit of the 2.8% criterion. Economists therefore expect a positive outcome in the June report and a euro adoption date of January 1, 2026. The eurozone’s financial rules and the need to maintain fiscal discipline may become a challenge for Bulgaria after adopting the common European currency, warned IME’s economist Petar Ganev. 

Published and translated by Kostadin Atanasov

Photo: BGNES