Contention coin: An unnamed EU country blocks the issuance of a commemorative coin in Bulgaria

The first Bulgarian commemorative 2 euro coin, dedicated to the Bulgarian alphabet, has been included in the Bulgarian National Bank’s coin program. It is currently undergoing the approval process in accordance with the applicable European legal framework and national legislation, the BNB stated.

NOVA sent an inquiry to the BNB regarding a document from the Council of the European Union dated May 29, which states that an objection to the project was received from a eurozone member state. According to the document, Bulgaria submitted the design for the commemorative coin on May 20, 2026, in accordance with an EU regulation, and on May 27, an unnamed country filed an objection. Under the regulation, eurozone countries may object to a design proposal if they believe it could provoke adverse reactions among their citizens.

The Bulgarian National Bank emphasizes that it has not identified any outstanding issues regarding the project’s compliance with applicable technical requirements. “The approval process has not been completed and is proceeding in accordance with established procedures”, the central bank states. According to the institution, at this time, consideration of the matter is taking place outside the scope of the expert-technical evaluation of the project.

President Iliyana Yotova defended the term “Bulgarian alphabet” inscribed on the coin. “It seems to me that we must all stand up for our rights here. We were raised, nurtured and educated to believe that our Cyrillic script is the Bulgarian alphabet”, she stated emphatically.

The issue was raised by MEP Hristo Petrov. He requested information from the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union. He told NOVA: “The fact that the information is not being disclosed at this time means that work is underway to resolve the issue. However, there is no scenario in which the draft would be rejected while the objection remains anonymous”.