Eurozone

Acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev outlined Bulgaria's aspirations to adopt the euro by 2025 during a meeting with ambassadors from EU member states, the US, the UK, and Switzerland. The caretaker government emphasized its commitment to ensuring fair and democratic elections while simultaneously pursuing key international policy goals.

Bulgaria's aspirations to become the 21st member of the Eurozone have sparked discussions regarding the country's economic readiness, as well as its political and institutional preparedness. Journalist Silke Wettach delves into these considerations in an insightful article for the German economic publication "Wirtschaftswoche".

The Ministry of Finance has made public the draft Law concerning the implementation of the euro in the Republic of Bulgaria, inviting public discourse. The objective of this initiative is to facilitate the seamless integration of the euro into Bulgaria and enhance transparency and understanding regarding the adoption process of the unified European currency within the nation.

As of today, Croatia has become the 20th member of the Eurozone and the 27th member of the Schengen area. More than 70 border points with Slovenia and Hungary and 12 - along the sea border are being removed. On this occasion, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is expected in Zagreb.

The Association of Romania's Privately Managed Pensions (APAPR) has recently asked for the Eurobonds issued by Romania to be included in the European Central Bank's (ECB) procurement programme for euro area countries.

Eurozone finance ministers welcomed Croatia's application to join the currency union, BNT reported.

Yesterday Zagreb filed its official application for entry into the European Monetary Mechanism, known as the "eurozone waiting room". 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ruled out a possible alleviation of Italy's credit burden and, in an interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, she explained that the principle of solidarity between Eurozone members should not transform the currency union into a debt-sharing instrument, Reuters , quoted by Focus.

EU Finance Ministers and officials arrived at the EuroGroup meeting in Tallinn, Estonia.

Youth unemployment in Greece might have fallen by over 10 percentage points between 2013-2016, but remains the highest among Eurozone member-states, according to Eurostat.