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By the end of June 2025, Bulgaria’s budget deficit reached 3.4 billion leva, equivalent to 1.5% of the country’s GDP, according to the Ministry of Finance. This total includes a deficit of 2.3 billion leva from the national budget and a 1.1 billion leva shortfall from European funds.
In contrast, during the first half of 2024, the Consolidated Fiscal Program showed a deficit five times smaller, at 636 million leva. That figure comprised a 1.3 billion leva deficit from the national budget, partially offset by a surplus of 737.7 million leva from European funds, reflecting lower spending under the Recovery and Resilience Plan and other EU programs last year.
The fiscal reserve as of June 30, 2025, stood at 13.16 billion leva, consisting of 12.46 billion leva in deposits and 702.6 million leva in receivables from the EU.
Revenues, including grants and donations, totaled 39.02 billion leva, reaching 43.2% of the planned annual target. Tax revenues and social security contributions amounted to 31.8 billion leva, representing 45% of the yearly estimate. Meanwhile, expenditures totaled 42.37 billion leva or 43.8% of the annual budget, driven primarily by growth in social payments, pensions, wages, and capital investments.
The Ministry of Finance expects that measures aimed at improving revenue collection will yield results in the second half of the year. The ceiling for the annual budget deficit remains set at 6.4 billion leva, or 3% of GDP.
The Bulgarian National Bank plans to release a 2-euro commemorative coin titled “Bulgarian Alphabet” in the second half of 2026, highlighting one of the nation’s most significant cultural and spiritual symbols
Bulgaria has advanced to fifth place in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of the number of large companies
A recent nationwide survey conducted by the TREND agency on behalf of the Technology Industry Alliance shows that Bulgarians hold a very positive view of the telecommunications sector in the country
Starting January 1, 2026, consumers in Bulgaria will need to pay extra attention to receipts, as the total amount will now be listed first in euros
Bulgarian tour operators are cautiously optimistic about the outlook for British tourists visiting the country in 2026, following Bulgaria’s presence at one of the largest tourism trade fairs in London
The United States has granted Bulgaria a significant exemption from its sanctions on Lukoil
The number of Bulgarians holding over 1 million leva (half a million euros) in bank accounts continues to rise, according to recent data from the Bulgarian National Bank
The official website dedicated to Bulgaria’s transition to the euro, evroto.bg, has published the full set of information materials used during the national awareness campaign
Economist Dimitar Sabev, from the Institute for Economic Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, has assessed the draft budget and broader economic situation in Bulgaria
As Bulgaria prepares to join the eurozone, many people who have been collecting coins from daily change may be wondering what to do with their small change
Economist Georgi Ganev has warned that Bulgaria’s forthcoming budget is likely to leave the country poorer than it could be, emphasizing that the process lacks genuine dialogue
From January 1, 2026, Bulgaria will officially become part of the eurozone, and the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) will join the Eurosystem's joint production pool for euro banknotes
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