site.btaParliament Chair Kiselova Confers with International Monetary Fund Managing Director Georgieva

Bulgaria’s National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova has conferred with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Parliament’s press service said on Monday. The sides discussed the challenges Bulgaria is facing and its expected accession to the euro area in early 2026.

Kiselova noted that Bulgaria highly values the fruitful cooperation and constructive dialogue with the International Monetary Fund. She added that this country remains engaged with issues on the global agenda. “At the same time, Bulgarian authorities are committed to addressing domestic challenges to ensure a more sustainable and predictable political and economic environment,” the Parliament Chair said.

“The introduction of the euro is one of Bulgaria's top priorities. Most of the MPs in the 51st National Assembly agree that we need to bring this process to a successful conclusion,” Kiselova added. She noted that this country is in the final phase of euro area accession, having already made substantial progress across key sectors - public, financial, and non-financial.

All strategic documents and key legislation related to the euro adoption have been prepared and adopted, Kiselova noted. She said that Bulgaria had met all the necessary criteria for euro area membership and is awaiting the ad hoc convergence reports from the European Commission and the European Central Bank. “We expect them to be positive, which would enable our country to become a worthy member of the euro area,” she said.

IMF Managing Director Georgiev said that Bulgaria is expected to receive an objective assessment of the efforts it has made to introduce the single European currency. This is an important step for Bulgaria, which will have a positive effect on the economy, people's incomes and the business climate, she said.