Nevertheless, Finance Minister Petkova reaffirmed that adopting the euro remains a key priority for Bulgaria.

On Tuesday, Bulgarian Parliament President Natalia Kiselova rejected as unconstitutional a proposal to hold a referendum on adopting the euro as the national currency — a plan put forward by the country’s pro-Russian head of state, President Rumen Radev.

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The decision means the Parliament will not even debate Radev’s request to ask citizens whether they want Bulgaria to adopt the euro in 2026. Kiselova is expected to present the legal reasoning behind her rejection.

The idea of holding a referendum had already been dismissed by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and Boyko Borissov, leader of the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, known by its acronym GERB.

Under Bulgarian law, the president may propose a referendum, but the final decision rests with Parliament. Radev, known for his pro-Russian stance, defended the initiative by citing a lack of political and social consensus on adopting the euro.

Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova, however, reaffirmed that adopting the euro on Jan. 1 remains a key priority for Bulgaria. She noted that the next important step is the release of the convergence reports, expected in early June.

In February, the Bulgarian government stated that the country already meets all the criteria for joining the eurozone, including price stability, deficit and debt control, balanced interest rates and stable exchange rates.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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