05/06/25 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 4 June the President of the Eurogroup, Paschal Donohoe, said he was “looking forward to welcoming Bulgaria into the euro area family next year”, following the publication of convergence reports by the European Commission and the ECB, according to whom Bulgaria meets all the criteria to adopt the euro from 1 January 2026 (see EUROPE 13653/1). “The Eurogroup has consistently supported Bulgaria’s ambition to join the euro area and will continue to work closely with the Bulgarian government on the next steps of the accession process”, he stated in a press release. In his view, Bulgaria's membership of the euro area will bring “significant benefits” for the Bulgarian economy and strengthen “the resilience and voice of the euro area in the world”. (MB)