Balgarianovinite.com Bulgaria was positioning itself within a range comparable to other euro area countries that had implemented an organised and effective process of replacing their national currency, a Fiscal Council analysis entitled “The Euro in Bulgaria: A Smooth and Successful Transition” showed, the Council said here on Wednesday.
The experts referred to data from the first weeks of January regarding the transition to the euro in Bulgaria, noting that the process of exchanging banknotes and coins was proceeding according to plan. As of January 16, 2026, around 60% of levs in circulation had been withdrawn. The Council also reported that the period of dual circulation of the lev and the euro had begun without significant difficulties, recalling that citizens and businesses could make payments in both currencies and that retailers were obliged to accept levs without restrictions until January 31, 2026. According to other data cited in the analysis, more than 96% of ATMs were dispensing euro banknotes as early as January 1, 2026, with the remaining machines being adjusted within one to two weeks. Prices had to be displayed in both currencies until August 31, 2026, and the responsible authorities were carrying out enhanced monitoring. The share of complaints filed over violations was below 0.5% of the total number of retail outlets, the Council noted, adding that penalties for established violations reached up to EUR 100,000. It also recalled that the fixed exchange rate remained unchanged: EUR 1 = BGN 1.95583.
The available facts and indicators confirmed that the transition to the euro from January 1, 2026, was proceeding calmly and in an organised manner. The overall picture pointed to a high degree of institutional preparedness and effective management of the process, the Fiscal Council’s analysis concluded.
Noting that the adoption of the euro in Bulgaria was a key milestone completing the country’s process of full European integration, the Fiscal Council added that the transition was taking place under favourable initial conditions. Among these was the fact that Bulgaria was entering the euro area from the position of a long-standing currency board with a fixed exchange rate, which meant that in practice there was no significant change in the monetary policy regime or currency risk, unlike in countries with a floating exchange rate, the analysis said. Another favourable condition was that Bulgaria was adopting the euro at one of the lowest levels of government debt in the EU, placing the country in a more fiscally stable position compared with a number of states that had recently joined the euro area. In addition, the transition followed prolonged and coordinated preparation by the Bulgarian National Bank, commercial banks, retail chains and key institutions to ensure a smooth technical and organisational changeover. Bulgaria’s Transition to Euro Proceeding Smoothly and Orderly – Fiscal Council Analysis 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-01-21 10:28:57 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