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Bulgaria prepares for the euro amid excitement and scepticism - REUTERS
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SOFIA, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Bulgarian banks, businesses and shoppers were preparing this week to say goodbye to the lev currency ahead of a move to adopt the euro on January 1, a long-awaited milestone met with excitement, scepticism and, in some corners, anger.
Bulgaria, a Black Sea country on the European Union's southeast frontier, will be the 21st country to join the euro currency zone after it met the formal entry criteria this year, including for inflation, budget deficit, long-term borrowing costs and exchange-rate stability.
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It comes two years after Croatia joined in January 2023 - the last country to do so - and will push the number of Europeans using the currency to more than 350 million. Becoming a member of the euro zone, apart from using euro notes and coins, also means a seat at the European Central Bank's rate-setting Governing Council.
