“Don’t want the Euro”: Bulgaria nationalists clash with authorities, attempt to storm EU building

Clashes broke out between police and nationalist protesters in Bulgaria this week, with thousands of demonstrators demanding that the government scrap plans to introduce the euro as the official currency. Several supporters of Bulgaria’s ultra-nationalist Revival party scuffled with the police while attempting to storm the building of a European Union mission as the public protests against the country’s plans to adopt the euro next year.

The demonstration began in front of the central bank building in Sofia, where protesters burned effigies of European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and other officials. Some protesters then began throwing paint, Molotov cocktails and firecrackers at the local office of the European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm.

A door was eventually set on fire. Around 10 police officers sustained minor injuries and about six people were detained, a senior police official told reporters.

The protesters, mostly supporters of Bulgaria’s ultra-nationalist Revival party, called for the government to step down and chanted “No to the Euro” and “Yes to the Bulgarian lev,” the country’s currency.

Bulgaria’s Revival party has accused government officials of “fabricating data” to support the introduction of the single currency as they call for more public debate and a referendum to decide on entry to the 20-member eurozone.

The protests began in front of the European Union country’s central bank, with protesters setting effigies of European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and other officials on fire. Some waved Bulgarian, Soviet Union or East German flags, while others carried placards reading “We don’t Want the Euro”.

“We don’t want Bulgarian financial independence to be destroyed. We want to keep the Bulgarian lev,” Kostadin Kostadinov, the Revival party chairman, told media. “We are here to defend our freedom.”

Repercussions of the Move

The Bulgarian government has so far condemned the attack on the EU buildings, saying in a statement that such attacks “are unacceptable and contradict the principles of the rule of law”.

Meanwhile many economists believe Bulgaria would attract more foreign investment if it adopted the euro and secured credit rating upgrades. Others say the EU’s poorest country is not yet ready to adopt the EU’s single currency.

Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007. However, its entry into the bloc did not signal the end of political instability. The country has seen seven governments over the past four years.

The current government, which was approved last month after October’s snap election, has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to joining the eurozone next year.

Prime Minister of Bulgaria Rosen Zhelyazkov has said the 2025 state budget will set a deficit of about 3%, which will pave the way for the euro on January 1, 2026. However, the country still needs to meet an extended inflation target before its euro bid can be examined.

Bulgarians are divided over the euro’s introduction, with many worrying that it will cause prices to skyrocket, as it happened in Croatia in 2023. The government, backed by other pro-European parties in parliament, has reaffirmed the importance of adoption as another step toward European integration, something the Bulgarian nationalists see as a direct threat to their nation’s sovereignty.