The Balkan nation Bulgaria has become the 21st country to adopt the Euro on 1 January, 2026, nearly 20 years after joining the European Union (EU).

Bulgaria became the 21st country to adopt the Euro as soon as it entered the new year on 1 January, 2026, nearly 20 years after this Balkan nation joined the European Union (EU).
Bulgaria abandoned the lev currency, which had been in use since the late 19th century, and Bulgarian Euro coins were projected onto the central bank building.
In the country of 6.4 million people, successive governments have advocated joining the Euro, in the hope that it will boost the economy of the European Union’s poorest member, strengthen ties with the West, and protect it from Russia’s influence.
But Bulgarians have long been divided over this change, with many fearing that its introduction could raise prices and further increase the political instability already present in the country.
President Rumen Radev described the adoption of the Euro as the “final step” in Bulgaria’s EU integration, as thousands of people in the capital Sofia braved sub-zero temperatures to celebrate the New Year.

Euro currency

The Euro was first introduced on 1 January, 2002 in 12 countries. Croatia was the latest country to join in 2023. With Bulgaria’s inclusion, the number of Europeans using the Euro will exceed 350 million.
Major member countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Croatia.
The monetary policy of the Euro area is managed by the Frankfurt-based European Central Bank (ECB). The Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Sweden do not use the Euro.

Formation of the EU

The European Union (EU) was established with the signing of the Maastricht Treaty on 7 February, 1992, and this treaty came into force on 1 November, 1993, after which the European Union officially came into existence.
In 1946, at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, Winston Churchill advocated the emergence of a United States of Europe.
In 1952, under the Treaty of Paris (1951), six countries, called the Six (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands), gave up part of their sovereignty and established the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) by placing their coal and steel production in a common market.
The European Court of Justice (which until 2009 was called the “Court of Justice of the European Communities”) was also established in 1952 under the Treaty of Paris.
The European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom) is an international organization that was established by the Euratom Treaty (1957) with the original objective.
The European Economic Community (EEC) was formed by the Treaty of Rome (1957).
It was terminated by the Lisbon Treaty-2007 and its activities were incorporated into the EU.
The Merger Treaty (1965, Brussels), in which an agreement was made to merge the three communities (ECSC, EAEC, and EEC) under a single set of institutions, resulting in the creation of the European Communities (ECs).

It is a geographical region of south-eastern Europe with several geographical and historical definitions, bounded by the Adriatic Sea to the north-west of the Balkan Peninsula, the Ionian Sea to the south-west, the Aegean Sea to the south, the Turkish Straits to the east, and the Black Sea to the north-east.
The highest point of the Balkans is Musala, with an elevation of 2,925 metres (9,596 feet), located in Bulgaria’s Rila mountain range.
The concept of the Balkan Peninsula was formulated in 1808 by the German geographer August Zeune, who mistakenly considered the Balkan Mountains to be the principal mountain system of south-eastern Europe stretching from the Adriatic Sea to the Black Sea.
The term fully includes Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia (up to the Sava and Kupa rivers), mainland Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Northern Dobruja in Romania, Serbia (up to the Danube River), and Eastern Thrace in Turkey.
However, many definitions also include the remaining regions of Croatia, Romania, and Serbia, as well as Slovenia (up to the Kupa River). In addition, some definitions also include Hungary and Moldova due to cultural and historical factors.