Bulgaria marked its entry into the euro zone on Thursday with a display of euro coins on the front of the central bank in the capital, Sofia.
As of midnight on 1 January, the euro became the country’s currency, replacing the lev.
Bulgaria becomes the euro zone’s 21st member and means they get a seat at the European Central Bank’s rate-setting Governing Council.
Successive Bulgarian governments have tried to make the step since the Balkan country joined the EU in 2007.
Some Bulgarians worry using the euro will increase prices.
Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov lost a confidence vote in December, after widespread protests against the 2026 budget.
A referendum on using the euro was proposed by President Rumen Radev but rejected by the outgoing government.
Now the number of Europeans using the euro exceeds 350 million people.
The last country to join the single currency group was Croatia in 2023.
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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have concluded talks in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as leaders gather for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Iran has reached an understanding with Oman on transit arrangements through the Strait of Hormuz, but the waterway will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils its commitments, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Saturday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused U.S. government and Israel-aligned actors of manipulating energy markets to promote the war with Iran.
Russian strikes on the Kyiv region overnight killed 37 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. Zelenskyy added that the Ukrainian capital was under "virtually nonstop attack" from drones.
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, with Tehran responding by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan in the first direct U.S.-Iran military escalation in weeks.
The death toll from last week's catastrophic floods in Nepal and Tibet rose to 939 on Monday, with 3,044 people still missing, as fresh rainfall pushed up river levels and forced rescuers to move to higher ground.
Recovery teams are continuing operations in Grand Canyon National Park after flash floods swept through parts of the canyon over the weekend, leaving one person dead and leading to the discovery of a second body that has yet to be recovered.
Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have formalised their new defensive alliance at the grouping’s first high-level meeting held Monday in Istanbul.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that Tehran is not pursuing a military conflict but promised a strong response to 'aggressors' while the Army and Revolutionary Guards said they carried out retaliatory attacks against U.S. bases in the region on Monday.
Kyrgyzstan is hosting the sixth World Nomad Games, bringing together thousands of athletes from around the world for a celebration of traditional sports, cultural heritage and nomadic traditions.
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