Sofia hosts high-level conference “Bulgaria on Doorstep of Eurozone”

The Finance Ministry and the Bulgarian National Bank have organized a high-level conference entitled “Bulgaria on the Doorstep of the Eurozone” on Tuesday, November 4. The event took place at the Boyana Residence in Sofia. It is part of the national information campaign for the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria as of 1 January 2026.

The conference opened at 9:00 a.m. with an inaugural session featuring Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). An address will also be delivered by Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank (ECB).

The leaders’ dialogue began with a video link to Paschal Donohoe, President of the Eurogroup and Minister for Finance of Ireland, followed by a roundtable discussion with Bulgaria’s Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova, Bulgarian National Bank Governor Dimitar Radev, Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification, and Pierre Gramegna, Managing Director of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). The high-level event was moderated by Lilyana Pavlova, former vice-president of the European Investment Bank (2019–2023).

On July 8, 2025, Bulgaria received final approval from the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament to become the 21st member of the euro area as of 1 January 2026, marking 19 years since the country joined the European Union.