Eastern Europe Edition

Euro Expansion Fuels Bid for More Sway in Frankfurt

With a third of the eurozone now from the region, officials are escalating their campaign for more influence.
A cashier handles euro banknotes at a cafe in Sofia on Jan. 1.Photographer: Michaela Vatcheva/Bloomberg

Hi, this is Andrea Dudik in Prague. Welcome to our weekly newsletter on what’s shaping economics and investments from the Baltic Sea to the Balkans. You can subscribe here.

When Bulgaria adopted the euro on Jan. 1, the moment was tarnished by persistent political turmoil. The government had just resigned following a wave of popular anger over corruption and cronyism and about half of Bulgarians were against the currency switch, as our Sofia correspondent Slav Okov reported.