Euro Adoption in Bulgaria: Key Payment Changes and Consumer Advice for the Start of 2026
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
Chinese Deputy PM Li Keqiang has declared his country's readiness to prop Spain up financially ahead of his visit to the Iberian country. Photo by EPA/BGNES
China will continue to buy out Spain's sovereign debt, thus providing crucial financial backing for the Iberian country, which many fear may end up needing a bailout loan not unlike Greece and Ireland.
The intention of the People's Republic to back Spain's economic reforms through financing of its government has been declared in a lengthy article of Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Li Keqiang published Monday in Spain's largest newspaper, El Pais.
China's Deputy PM Li is visiting Spain on January 4-January 6, 2011, for meetings with King Juan Carlos, Prime Minister Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero, Finance Minister Elena Salgado and Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez.
"China is a responsible long-term investor, both in the European financial market and in the Spanish financial market. China has confidence in Spain's financial market. It has purchased Spanish Treasury bonds and will buy still more," Chinese Deputy PM states in his article.
Spain has been struggling with an increasing budget deficit in the recent months, spurring Europe-wide concern that it might – potentially with Portugal – join Greece and Ireland as an economy in dire need of bailout to prop up the euro.
Spain's potential running into deeper financial trouble has the potential to cast a serious doubt on the stability and even existence of the common European currency, according to some analysts. The Iberian country has staged emergency budget cuts as well as politically difficult reforms to boost economic growth and reduce the deficit.
China is one of the biggest foreign owners of Spanish sovereign debt, with around 10% of the total. China has recently proven very important for the stability of the euro and the euro zone by financing sovereign debt of Euro Area countries.
"I am about to head a Chinese delegation to Europe in this thick New Year atmosphere. I will start my trip from Spain, a country I admire for its long history and modern development, a country I feel close at heart though it is far away from China. I will use this opportunity to bring to the Spanish people the friendship of the Chinese people and China's sincere desire to increase cooperation with Spain," Chinese Deputy PM says in his El Pais article, in which he also makes clear his country's readiness to prop Spain up financially.
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
The Bulgarian government under Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov says the country is fully prepared for the switch from the lev to the euro on 1 January 2026, having finalised key legislative and operational steps.
Bulgaria's Strategic Role in the EU's Drone Wall Defense Initiative
When Politics Means Violence