Bulgaria’s Big Euro Moment Tarnished by Political Turmoil
The country joins the single currency with a lame duck government, another election looming and almost half of people wanting to keep the lev.
Protesters against the government and its budget plans gather in Sofia on Dec. 18.
Photographer: Hristo Rusev/Getty Images
It’s hard to ignore Bulgaria’s heart-on-sleeve embrace of the European Union. The bloc’s blue flag with gold stars flies at institutions more prominently than in other countries in Eastern Europe. Pro-euro billboards paid for by the government dot Sofia’s streets and metro stations.
What’s also conspicuous is the predicament that Bulgaria finds itself in as it adopts Europe’s single currency today. The government just resigned, it has no up-to-date budget, and almost half the population wants to keep the lev.