The EU finance ministers are expected to adopt the final legal acts on 8 July 2025, enabling Bulgaria to adopt the euro on 1 January 2026. (1) It will then become the 21st member state of the EU with the single currency. This will add 6.5 million people to the 350 million already living in the euro area. The single currency offers advantages for businesses and citizens. National governments, on the other hand, lose control over monetary policy. But they also gain – probably more than expected in times of global challenges and uncertainty. To enable Europeans to reap the full benefits of their single currency, they must strengthen the euro's foundations: geopolitical credibility, economic resilience and legal and institutional integrity. (2)
