The European Central Bank (ECB) warmly welcomes Bulgaria’s accession to the euro area on January 1, 2026, when the country will become a full member of the monetary union, ECB President Christine Lagarde in an interview with Bulgarian National Television, broadcast on Sunday evening. Bulgaria will benefit from the stability, liquidity, and advantages of the single currency, she added.
Lagarde noted that as a result of the accession, Bulgaria will have a permanent seat on the ECB Governing Council, with BNB Governor Dimitar Radev representing the country, having the right to vote and express his opinion, and participating in monetary policy decisions to be taken in Frankfurt. In September, the Bulgarian central bank’s governor participated as an observer in a meeting of the ECB Governing Council.
Lagarde explained that the transition to the euro means that Bulgarian citizens and businesses will be able to make money transfers, travel, and conduct transactions anywhere in the eurozone without having to exchange money. They will not have to think about exchange rate fluctuations, whether the lev is cheaper or more expensive, or at what rate it will be exchanged. The currency will be the same for all eurozone countries, Lagarde pointed out, adding that this provides flexibility and stability because of the euro’s exact value being known. It is a strong currency, considered the second reserve currency in the world, she added.
For banks, eurozone membership means greater stability, access to more liquidity, participation in a larger group of banks, as well as supervision that is organized consistently and coherently within the system, the ECB President noted.
When asked about citizens’ questions and concerns regarding prices and inflation related to the replacement of the lev with the euro, Lagarde commented that change always causes concern. In her words, ultimately some things may turn out to be a little more expensive because of the change, there are small discrepancies, but overall in the longer term there are no significant changes.
Institutions can do a lot to prevent abuse during the transition from the lev to the euro, Lagarde added. The institutions must enforce the rules because the principle is conversion without any upward or downward variation from the consumer’s point of view. That is why they must really enforce compliance with the rules and ensure that large department stores, but also cafes and small shops, comply with them and do not take advantage, said the ECB Governor.
In the interview, she also said that she had never been to Bulgaria. Lagarde will visit Sofia on the occasion of the country’s accession to the euro. Bulgaria to Have a Say in Eurozone’s Monetary Policy, Benefit from Euro’s Stability – ECB President THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-10-20 07:01:59 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
