The first philatelic edition for 2026 is dedicated to Bulgaria's accession to the Eurozone. This is also the first Bulgarian postage stamp with a denomination in Euro—small in size, but a sign of great historical significance for our country's new economic era. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov during the launch of the "Bulgaria in the Eurozone" postal-philatelic edition. The edition was validated by Ministers Grozdan Karadzhov and Temenuzhka Petkova, and the project's artist, Assoc. Prof. Nenko Atanasov.
Deputy Prime Minister Karadzhov explained that such a change in the denomination of Bulgarian postage stamps is happening for the second time. "After the Liberation, the young Bulgarian state's first stamps were printed in centimes and francs, and with the introduction of the Golden Bulgarian Lev in 1880, stamps began to be printed in Levs," Karadzhov pointed out.
"Over the next 140-plus years, nearly 6,000 Bulgarian postage stamps have been issued in Levs, documenting the most important moments of our modern history. Today, with this stamp, we close an entire historical and collecting cycle," the Deputy Prime Minister indicated.
"I wish for this stamp to cross many borders—just as the images of the Madarski konnik, of Sv. Ivan Rilski and Paisiy Hilendarski will travel freely throughout Europe and be in the wallets of millions of Europeans," he added. Deputy Prime Minister Karadzhov pointed out that all postage stamps with Lev denominations will continue to be sold in the Bulgarian Posts network until quantities run out, with their prices converted at the official exchange rate to the Euro.
Minister of Finance Temenuzhka Petkova stated that with Bulgaria's acceptance into the Eurozone, the process of our country's full integration within the European Union is concluded. "This has been a long-standing dream for generations of Bulgarians, and I am glad that this government managed to realise it, and that Bulgaria today takes its worthy place among the Eurozone member states. The benefits of Bulgaria's acceptance into the Eurozone are indisputable—this means, firstly, economic, financial, and price stability. It means much more investment, economic growth, higher incomes, relief for all Bulgarian citizens travelling abroad, as well as the minimisation of very serious costs for businesses related to currency exchange," Petkova emphasised.
The finance minister thanked Bulgarian citizens and Bulgarian business for the fact that the adoption of the Euro in Bulgaria is being implemented extremely smoothly. According to her, there are no shocks whatsoever, and all the fears that attempts were made to instill in society have proven completely unfounded. "From here on, it remains only for us to reap the benefits of Bulgaria being in the Eurozone. All institutions related to the process of introducing the Euro are in place and exercising their powers so that the process is as smooth as possible and in compliance with the Law on the Introduction of the Euro in the Republic of Bulgaria," Minister Petkova pointed out.
