site.btaInformation Campaign on Euro to Start in March - Finance Minister

In March, a major information campaign on the introduction of the euro will be launched in Bulgaria, said Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova during Question Time in Parliament. Petkova answered a question from Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria MP Nikolay Denkov when the Ministry plans to resume the communication campaign on Bulgaria's eurozone accession and what it envisages.

According to the Finance Minister, the first information strategy was adopted in November 2022 with a decision of a coordination council in charge of the preparations for euro area membership.

The official website on to the introduction of the euro was launched in March 2024.

The Finance Minister added that everything that needs to be done for Bulgarian citizens and businesses to get correct information about the euro area will be done.

In March, a major information campaign about the introduction of the euro will be launched in Bulgaria, said Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova during Question Time in Parliament. Petkova answered a question from Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria Nikolay Denkov when the Finance Ministry plans to resume the communication campaign on Bulgaria's eurozone accession and what it envisages.

"A large part of the delay in the preparation and procurement of the communication activities (on the adoption of the euro in Bulgaria - ed.) has already been overcome, so a large-scale media information campaign on the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria will be launched this month," Petkova told MPs in the National Assembly.

Petkova said that one of the government's top priorities is Bulgaria's membership in the eurozone and the government has the will to do everything necessary to bring this process to completion, including by conducting a full-fledged information campaign to explain the advantages and benefits for people and businesses of the introduction of the euro.

The Finance Minister summarized the activities carried out so far on the communication campaign and the problems it has faced in recent years.

"The constant change of the leadership of the institutions and their visions for management and implementation of policies have also left their mark, which is evident from the delay of the campaign on the euro," Petkova said.

In her words, the information campaign on the euro has been elaborated since the beginning of 2021, when Kiril Ananiev was finance minister. In his mandate, the working version of the communication strategy for information and publicity of Bulgaria's eurozone accession and the draft national plan for the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria were prepared.

"The facts show that the preparations started on time, but the two caretaker governments after that, as well as the regular government afterwards, did not work at the pace necessary to prepare and launch the information campaign", Petkova said.

According to the finance minister, the first information strategy was adopted in November 2022 with a decision of the Coordination Council for the preparation of the Republic of Bulgaria for eurozone membership, but without funds earmarked for its implementation.

"There were no resources earmarked in the budget of the Ministry of Finance for the implementation of the campaign, unlike the procedure laid down for the period 2021-2024, when the then leadership of the Ministry of Finance planned financial resources with a three-year horizon. Unfortunately, these funds have been removed from the plan-account," Petkova said, adding that as a result, the financial backing for the communication activities has been provided by a decision of the caretaker government for additional spending of BGN 10 million in the budget of the Ministry of Finance.

In her words, at the end of March 2024 the official website related to the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria was launched, which was prepared by the Finance Ministry team in the caretaker government.

The Finance Minister added that everything that needs to be done for Bulgarian citizens and businesses to get correct information about the euro area will be done.