"The European Council welcomes the fulfillment of the convergence criteria by Bulgaria, as set out in the treaty, and supports the Commission's proposal that it introduce the euro from January 1, 2026", said the conclusions of the European leaders, adopted at the end of their meeting, BNR reported.
The leaders also invite the EU Council to swiftly adopt the relevant Commission proposals.
Before the start of the leaders' meeting, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said that the recommendations of the Eurogroup and the Council from last week are expected to be unanimously reaffirmed by the heads of state and government of the member states.
Now there are two more steps left - a vote by the European Parliament on plenary session in Strasbourg and in the "Economic and Financial Affairs" Council in Brussels, both on 8 July. This will conclude the procedure.
The leaders failed to agree on the adoption of the 18th package of sanctions against Russia. However, the other restrictive measures were renewed for another six months. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that it was imperative to start EU membership negotiations with Ukraine, which, she said, despite being under constant fire, is making reforms after reforms.
The European leaders also adopted conclusions calling for a continued increase in European defense and security spending.
They stressed that Russia's aggressive war in Ukraine and its impact on European and global security represent an existential challenge for the EU.
The European Union has received "the latest document from the United States" for further negotiations on tariffs. This was announced by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen after a meeting of the European Council in Brussels, quoted by the "Reuters" agency and the Bulgarian National Radio.
"All options remain on the table", she also told reporters and added that a process of evaluating the document is underway.
"Our message today is clear. We are ready for a deal. At the same time, we are preparing for the possibility that a satisfactory agreement will not be reached. We will defend European interests as necessary," von der Leyen said.
Also in Brussels, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France wanted a quick and pragmatic trade deal with the United States, but that his country would not accept conditions that were not balanced.
All means must be used to ensure a fair agreement, Macron told reporters after a meeting of European leaders.
If the basic American tariffs remain at 10 percent, Europe's response must be equivalent, the French head of state said.
"Our goodwill should not be perceived as weakness," Macron stressed, quoted by "Reuters".