„The euro adoption will go down in history as a key step for Bulgaria. The country will sit at the table for making important decisions. Dimitar Radev, as Chairman of the Bulgarian National Bank, will have the right to vote in the ECB on issues such as financial stability, vision, digital euro”. This was said by the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva in her speech at the high-level conference "Bulgaria on the Threshold of the Eurozone", quoted by Nova TV. The event is organized by the Ministry of Finance and the Bulgarian National Bank and is held at the "Boyana" residence. The forum is part of the communication campaign for the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria from January 1, 2026.
Georgieva warned that after January 1, 2026, the country will also face short-term and medium-term challenges. "The economy is overheating a little. Our population is decreasing, the "brain drain" continues to hit us. How can we cope? There is only one answer to this question - with responsible policies aimed at protecting the economy and increasing the productivity of the private sector”, Georgieva is categorical.
According to her, our country will need a strict fiscal policy and maintaining macroeconomic indicators in a stable state.
“The euro will help, but by itself, it does not guarantee a higher standard of living. It must be combined with good policies”, the IMF Managing Director also said.
”Bulgaria is more than ready, thanks to the Currency Board, the measures we have taken, the state policy of awareness for the transition from the lev to the euro. There is a slight nostalgia. What is more worrying is the politicization of this nostalgia. "However, Bulgaria will have even greater benefits from joining the eurozone than it already has from European integration," Georgieva stressed.