Bulgaria and the Euro: What Happens to National Monetary Sovereignty?
One of the most debated topics around Bulgaria’s upcoming transition from the lev to the euro is whether the country is giving up its sovereignty
At the end of July 2024, Bulgaria's gross external debt reached 43.69 billion euros, or 43.6% of the country's GDP, marking an increase of 1.23 billion euros compared to the same period in the previous year, when the debt stood at 42.46 billion euros, or 45.2% of GDP. This is according to data from the Bulgarian National Bank.
Short-term liabilities amounted to 7.82 billion euros at the end of July 2024, representing 17.9% of gross debt and 7.8% of GDP, an increase of 481.3 million euros year-on-year. A year earlier, this figure was 7.34 billion euros, accounting for 17.3% of gross debt and 7.8% of GDP.
Long-term liabilities reached 35.87 billion euros, or 82.1% of gross debt and 35.8% of GDP, by the end of July 2024. This represents an increase of 748.6 million euros compared to July 2023, when long-term liabilities were 35.12 billion euros, or 82.7% of gross debt and 37.4% of GDP.
By the end of July, 26.2 billion euros, or 60% of gross external liabilities, had a residual maturity of more than one year, and 78.9% of gross external liabilities were denominated in euros, a slight decrease from 79.3% the previous year.
The gross external debt of the General Government sector reached 10.13 billion euros, or 10.1% of GDP, by the end of July 2024, up by 620.8 million euros compared to the previous year. The Central Bank’s external liabilities stood at 2.03 billion euros, or 2% of GDP, a slight decrease of 4.3 million euros year-on-year.
External liabilities of "Other monetary financial institutions," including banks and money market funds, reached 6.36 billion euros, or 6.4% of GDP, an increase of 535.7 million euros compared to the previous year.
The external liabilities of "Other sectors" grew to 12.25 billion euros, or 12.2% of GDP, an increase of 328.8 million euros from a year earlier. Meanwhile, intra-company lending decreased to 12.91 billion euros, or 12.9% of GDP, down by 251 million euros from the previous year. Intra-company lending continued to hold the largest share of external debt at 29.6%, compared to 31% in July 2023.
Inflation in Bulgaria recorded a slight uptick in May 2025
Bulgaria has secured an additional 300 million leva in debt from the domestic market, according to the results of the latest government securities auction held by the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB)
In April 2025, Bulgaria recorded a current account deficit of 724.9 million euros, marking the largest monthly shortfall since January 2022
With Bulgaria set to adopt the euro on January 1, 2026, questions are surfacing about whether the country might face financial risks similar to those that led to Greece’s debt crisis
The introduction of dual pricing in leva and euro is progressing smoothly and, in some cases, even ahead of the planned timeline in Bulgaria
Annual inflation in Bulgaria accelerated slightly in May, reaching 3.7%
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