Thousands of Bulgarians in Sofia and other cities protested against the government’s plans to accept the euro. They ask for a referendum, fear inflation and economic consequences of change.
Thousands of people went to the streets of Sofia and other larger cities on Saturday to protest the Bulgarian government plans from 1 January 2026 as a new state currency. The protesters require at least to declare a referendum, TASR writes according to AP report.
The European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB) are to decide in the coming days whether Bulgaria will receive “green” to join the euro area. The country would thus give up its current currency, the Bulgarian lion.
Demonstrations were supported by various civic associations and nationalist political parties. The protesters in the squares sing patriotic songs and chant slogans such as “Freedom for the Bulgarian Lion” and “the future belongs to the sovereign state”. The increased number of police officers supervises the protests.
Bulgaria has entered the European Union (EU) in 2007 and remains the poorest member to this day. According to AP, disinformation campaigns have supported concerns about economic changes that could bring even greater poverty or unemployment.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev supported the movement against the adoption of the euro and proposed to organize a referendum in early May. He referred to public concerns about inflation and loss of purchasing power. The pro -European majority in Parliament rejected the proposal and Radeva accused the proceedings in favor of Russia.
