Bulgaria's Kiril Petkov: 'Introducing the Euro is the Top Priority'

In an interview on Nova TV, Kiril Petkov, co-chair of "We Continue the Change" (WCC), stated that the introduction of the euro is currently the most pressing issue for Bulgaria. Petkov underscored that this objective takes precedence over other political maneuvers, which is why the WCC-DB coalition is refraining from supporting the proposed votes of no confidence against the Zhelyazkov cabinet for now. Bulgaria is aiming to adopt the euro on January 1, 2025.

Petkov clarified that the coalition’s stance might shift once the country successfully joins the eurozone. "After we enter the eurozone, we will initiate our vote of no confidence on the issue of the Ministry of Internal Affairs," he said, emphasizing that the timing is crucial.

Despite the unified stance on the euro, differences remain within the WCC-DB coalition regarding the position of Parliament Speaker Natalia Kiselova. Democratic Bulgaria (DB) has called for Kiselova’s resignation, citing concerns over her ties with Boyko Borisov and Delyan Peevski. However, WCC is not ready to back this demand just yet.

“Until we are sure that there is an alternative more independent than the duo of Boyko Borissov and Delyan Peevski, we will not support the request for her resignation,” Petkov stated, suggesting that any move against Kiselova would require a more impartial candidate to replace her.

Bulgaria has been striving to adopt the euro for several years, having joined the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II) in 2020 as a preparatory step. The country is now targeting January 1, 2026, as its official entry date into the eurozone, pending necessary reforms and meeting specific economic criteria.