(Strasbourg) With 531 votes for, 69 votes against and 79 abstentions, today the European Parliament, gathered in its plenary session in Strasbourg, gave the go-ahead to Bulgaria’s joining the euro area: the single currency will be adopted on January 1^st 2026. Bulgaria is the 21^st state adopting the euro: the latest entry was Croatia in 2023. After rejecting the request of the groups that asked to postpone the decision on Bulgaria’s joining the euro area, rapporteur Eva Maydell of the European People’s Party gave a speech from the floor. “Based on evidence put forward by the European Central Bank and the EU Commission, Bulgaria is ready to join the eurozone. Inflation is below the reference value, public finances are stable, debt levels meet the required thresholds. This step marks a key milestone, thinking of those who stood in the squares in 1989 to peacefully bring down the communist regime and looking at today’s young people who call Europe their home. Adopting the euro is achieving the European dream for citizens and institutions”.