Bulgaria Withdraws Budget After Protests

Same happening in ??Bulgaria??Protests against the euro adoption and now in prison are students not the real criminals.The government is faking the numbers to fit the European commission requirements… pic.twitter.com/6uDxdYL060

— MV (@mikevargales) February 28, 2025

Civil unrest continues as tens of thousands of Bulgarians took to the streets last month to protest government spending, or at least that is what the headlines would lead one to believe. The government released its 2026 budget proposal, which included higher taxes and increased social security contributions, sparking nationwide outrage led by youth. Now, Parliament is withdrawing the budget unanimously, as citizens demanded the right to be heard. Yet, the true nature of the protests surrounds the forced adoption of the euro.

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov has been urged to resign; President Rumen Radev backed protesters while accusing violence as “mafia provocation.” Protestors set the entrance to the office of the European Commission on fire. Bulgaria is set to join the eurozone on January 1, 2026. The budget maxes out the 3% deficit as demanded by the European Commission. The people know that appeasing the European Commission is the main reason they want to increase taxes, and Bulgarians do not want to surrender their national identity to Brussels.

But Bulgaria is set to join the eurozone as the 21st member despite political unrest. The euro was never created as a currency to enhance trade or economic efficiency. It was designed as a stepping stone toward federalizing Europe. Europe has always sought the benefits of a single currency without surrendering fiscal sovereignty. Brussels will accept Bulgaria even without a clear budget because it needs to feed a dying system.

Bulgaria will forego its sovereignty. Goodbye independent rate decisions. Bulgaria will not have a national currency to adjust during downturns. They will be forced into the one-size-fits-all monetary system centered around the top European economies that are on the decline. The EU is attempting to recruit Romania into its scheme as well. Then there is the matter of absorbing Ukraine into the mix. The centralized authority in Brussels has no plan for the sovereign debt crisis that awaits it next year going into 2028.