Balgarianovinite.com The Bulgarian Finance Ministry on Wednesday denied allegations that the month-long euro and lev dual circulation period will be prolonged beyond its statutory expiry on January 31, 2026.
The Ministry’s press release responded to queries prompted by claims circulating in public that such an extension is contemplated by a planned revision of the Introduction of the Euro in the Republic of Bulgaria Act.
The Finance Ministry’s Press Centre is authorized to state that Ministry officials have not held any meeting on an extension of the dual circulation period and that such meetings are not planned.
“The Ministry of Finance categorically opposes attempts at using the name of the institution for the purpose of achieving political dividends by manipulation and deliberate misleading the public regarding the period of simultaneous payments in lev and euro within the national territory,” the press release says.
“The month-long period is intended to allow members of the public sufficient time to adapt to the new currency and facilitate the exchange of lev banknotes and coins but also to contain retailers’ logistical difficulties and expenses on keeping sums at hand in both currencies,” the Ministry specified.
It explained that the one-month period starting from the date when the euro would become Bulgaria’s official currency has been set after public consultations which did not produce proposals for its extension or reduction. The period has also been consulted with the Bulgarian National Bank, the Financial Supervision Commission, government institutions and the academic community and has been coordinated with the European Commission and the European Central Bank.
The Ministry recalled that a dual circulation period has not lasted longer than one month in any State that has adopted the euro as its official currency. The countries that most recently joined the eurozone (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia and Slovenia) opted for two-week dual circulation whereas only Malta and Cyprus chose one month.
On December 16, 2025, Vazrazhdane Floor Leader Kostadin Kostadinov, Deputy Floor Leader Petar Petrov and MP Tsoncho Ganev tabled a bill under which the dual circulation period is to be extended to six months – the maximum permissible under Council Regulation (EC) No 974/98 of 3 May 1998 on the introduction of the euro.
The lawmakers argued that the longer period was necessary because of the “extraordinary situation” in Bulgaria with no Parliament-elected cabinet and no adopted annual budget law. They also insisted that, considering that two applications challenging the adoption of the euro by Bulgaria are pending before the EU Court of Justice, the use of the national currency for payments in Bulgaria must not be discontinued until the Court renders judgment on the merits of the two cases because “otherwise, this would entail irreversible economic and political consequences if the Court revokes the introduction of the euro.”
The draft legislation has been distributed to the parliamentary Budget and Finance Committee and the Economic Policy and Innovation Committee. The National Assembly is in Christmas recess until January 10, 2026. Finance Ministry Denies Allegations that Euro-Lev Dual Circulation Will Continue After January 31, 2026 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-01-07 20:18:00 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