Parliament rejects President’s proposal for referendum on euro adoption in 2026

Bulgaria's Parliament rejected President Rumen Radev’s proposal for holding a national referendum on the adoption of the euro in 2026, with 81 votes in favor, 135 against, and three abstentions. The decision comes less than a month before Bulgaria is set to join the eurozone.

No representative of the presidential institution appeared in the plenary hall to present the motives behind the proposal.

In his reasoning, the head of State said that the introduction of the single European currency can and should take place with strong national consensus and with the inner conviction of the people, not through disregard for their will. According to the President, the referendum would be beneficial for Bulgarian democracy, giving people a voice and allowing all arguments to be heard.

The proposal for a referendum was submitted by the President on May 12, 2025, was rejected by then Parliament Chair Nataliya Kiselova and was reintroduced to the legislature after a Constitutional Court ruling said that Kiselova had acted unconstitutionally.