The initial trigger for the protests was the draft law for the 2026 state budget—the first budget in euros. Planned increases in the dividend tax from 5 percent to 10 percent and an increase in social security contributions by 2 percent sparked dissatisfaction among...

On 8 July, the European Parliament approved Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone by a large majority. Through this vote, Bulgaria – a country of six and a half million inhabitants in Eastern Europe – will begin to use the euro as its currency...