Thousands protest in Bulgaria against Euro and to maintain national currency

By Euronews

Published connected 31/05/2025 - 16:38 GMT+2•Updated 20:45

Thousands of group took to nan streets successful Bulgaria connected Saturday, calling connected nan authorities to sphere nan country's currency, nan Bulgarian lev, and not participate nan euro area.

In nan capital, Sofia, and various different cities, demonstrations against nan preamble of nan euro rate began astatine astir noon. The protests were organised by nan ultranationalist Revival Party and respective NGOs.

They judge that if Bulgaria enters nan eurozone, prices will emergence and nan country's economical sovereignty will beryllium limited, and want a referendum to beryllium held connected nan issue.

"Revival Bulgaria has a will of nan group and nan will of nan group now says categorically: we do not want nan Bulgarian lev to beryllium destroyed, we want to sphere nan Bulgarian currency, we want to sphere nan state of Bulgaria. And that is why we want specified a referendum to beryllium held," said nan leader of nan Revival statement Kostadin Kostadinov.

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev precocious submitted a petition to parliament to clasp a referendum connected whether nan state adopts nan euro arsenic its currency.

In 2024, nan European Central Bank said nan state couldn’t subordinate nan rate national yet because ostentation successful nan state was excessively high.

The 7 non-eurozone members of nan EU are Bulgaria, nan Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Sweden. They proceed to usage their nationalist currencies, though each but Denmark - which has won an opt-out clause - are obliged to subordinate erstwhile they meet nan euro convergence criteria.

Bulgaria has group a target to subordinate nan euro area arsenic of 2026.