Bulgarians are the most sceptical among all the EU member states that have not yet introduced the euro - Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Sweden, a poll carried out by Eurobarometer showed on June 10.

The country’s current government has committed to euro adoption on January 1, 2024. However, 54% of Bulgarians currently are against the introduction of the EU currency.

“Across all countries except Bulgaria, at least a slim majority of respondents think the euro has had positive consequences for those countries already using it; this figure ranges from 46% in Bulgaria to 72% in Hungary,” the poll noted.

55% of respondents across the seven countries expect that introducing the euro would have positive consequences for their country, compared to 41% who expect negative consequences. The most positive were Romanians (65%) and Hungarians (60).

Around 60% of Bulgarians expect negative consequences. In Croatia, nearly 50% of respondents think euro adoption could have negative consequences. The country is set to introduce the EU currency on January 1, 2023.

Overall, 60% of respondents are in favour of introducing the euro in their country. In Romania, the opinion is the most positive (77% in favour), followed by Hungary (69%). On the other hand, it is most negative in Bulgaria and Czechia (44%, both) and Sweden (45%).

The proportion of respondents who think that their country is ready to introduce the euro remains low with respondents in Croatia (37%) being the most likely to feel their country is ready, while the lowest proportion is found in Bulgaria and Hungary (both 23%).