09/04/2026 (Agence Europe) – While many Bulgarians feared that prices would soar when the euro was introduced on 1 January (see EUROPE 13779/18), experts from the European Central Bank (ECB) noted in a working paper published on Thursday 9 April that the impact has remained limited and essentially one-off, with annual inflation slowing from 3.5% in December 2025 to 2.3% in January 2026, then 2.1% in February. While there was an atypical monthly rise of 0.6% in January, this was mainly due to services and food, with the effect of the currency change estimated at between 0.3 and 0.4 percentage points, with no lasting pressure thereafter. At the same time, experts report that inflation fears are fading, and surveys show that the majority of the population (54%) supported the euro in February. See the working document: https://aeur.eu/f/lhc (BD)