Multi-speed Europe

Hungary's Deputy Minister of the Interior, Bence Retvari, emphasized the significance of including Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen Area by the end of 2024 during Hungary's Presidency of the Council of the EU. He expressed optimism for a timely decision on this matter but did not specify a precise timeline for the vote.

The project for Terminal 3 at Sofia Airport includes plans for airbridges and the option for passengers to walk to and from the planes (the so-called WiWo - walk in, walk out). Milena Mihailova, Director of "Public Relations and Communications" at the concessionaire "SOF Connect," shared this information with TravelNews.

Bulgaria is not prepared to introduce the euro on January 1, 2025, as it fails to meet one of the four criteria for eurozone entry—the inflation level. This was highlighted in a report by the European Commission, adopted on Wednesday.

Bulgaria is expected to adopt the euro at the beginning of 2026, rather than mid-next year as previously forecasted. This update was provided by acting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Ludmila Petkova, who emphasized the need for technological time to meet the final criterion for euro adoption.

“The course of Greek economy is clearly better than the average for the Eurozone and the EU for

The European Central Bank (ECB) is expected to inform Bulgaria today that the country is not ready to join the Eurozone at the beginning of 2025, according to Politico. At noon, the European Commission will release reports on the convergence of EU member states planning to adopt the single currency.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Finance anticipates that the country will achieve the inflation benchmark required for Eurozone membership by the year's end. Following this achievement, Bulgaria plans to formally request the European Commission (EC) and the European Central Bank (ECB) to prepare an extraordinary convergence report, as stated by the Ministry of Finance.

The commitment to fiscal seriousness is independent of the EU's fiscal rules, as healthy public finances are a prerequisite for sustainable development, Minister of National Economy and Finance Kostis Hatzidakis said on Monday at an event organized by the State Budget Office in the Parliament, in the context of the annual OECD conference on public finances, hosted by Greece.

The Greek government and the European institutions responsible for banking supervision and financial stability, such as the Single Supervisory Mechanism and the European Stability Mechanism, co-shape the provisions for the reforms promoted by the Ministry of National Economy and Finance in the Superfund, the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund (HFSF) and the state asset utilization fund (TAIPED).

Vice President Iliana Yotova emphasized Bulgaria's imperative to maintain momentum towards joining the Eurozone during a forum dedicated to the country's Eurozone accession prospects.