Thursday

28th Mar 2024

Bulgaria euro row may come up at summit

  • The spelling of the single currency - a political issue (Photo: EUobserver)

Sofia has said it will not block the signing of a political agreement between the EU and Montenegro later today, after a temporary compromise solution was found regarding the Bulgarian spelling of the "euro".

"Bulgaria did not want to cause problems for Montenegro and I think it was a responsible approach", Bulgarian prime minister Sergei Stanishev told journalists in Brussels on Sunday (14 October).

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"It would have been unfair that a country [such as Bulgaria] which has gone through all these stages of applying, then negotiating and knows what it's all about, that we block their SAA [Stabilisation and Association Agreement]", he added.

In the Bulgarian version of the SAA, the word "euro" will not be mentioned and will be replaced by the currency's abbreviation EUR, sidestepping the issue of how the European currency should be transcribed in Bulgarian.

The European Central Bank (ECB) wants the euro to be spelled as "euro" (еуро) in Cyrillic instead of "evro" (евро), which is how it is normally transcribed in the EU's third alphabet.

Sofia refuses and said last week it would not sign the Montenegro agreement – which has to be agreed by all member states - if the problem in the Bulgarian translation of the contract was not solved.

The compromise solution postpones the "evro" row – but does not solve it.

Linked to the EU treaty?

From the Bulgarian side, the recognition that "the problem exists" was welcomed and there are hopes that it will be solved by the end of November, the Bulgarian prime minister said.

"A concrete working group of experts needs to be put into place, so that all the academic and scientific arguments are heard. I think we have all the reasons to raise that question, because the specificity of the Cyrillic alphabet as a new EU alphabet has to be taken into account", he said.

Mr Stanishev expressed a belief that there will be an agreement by the end of next month "because we wouldn't like to put obstacles to such an important political event as the European reform treaty and its ratification. That is not our intention".

He said it would be "extreme" for Bulgaria to veto the new EU treaty – which EU leaders are discussing at the end of this week – over the issue.

"Everybody understands that we are constructive, but every constructivism has to be respected by the other side. But I say again, if there is good will, a reasonable solution can be found that does not create cultural absurdities".

So far, the ECB has only put forward the argument that "the name of the common currency unit must be the same in all the official languages of the EU".

But Sofia is pointing out that "the existence of different alphabets" should be taken into account. It also notes that in its EU accession agreement, it is written that the euro would be called "evro" in Bulgaria.

Montenegro hopes to apply for EU membership next year

Montenegro has signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement, the first formal step on the path to the European Union, and is hoping to officially apply for membership of the bloc next year.

Ukraine slams grain trade restrictions at EU summit

Restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU could translate into military losses in their bid to stop Russia's war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned EU leaders during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

Latest News

  1. "Swiftly dial back" interest rates, ECB told
  2. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  3. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult
  4. EU unveils plan to create a European cross-border degree
  5. How migrants risk becoming drug addicts along Balkan route
  6. 2024: A Space Odyssey — why the galaxy needs regulating
  7. Syrian mayor in Germany speaks out against AfD
  8. Asian workers pay price for EU ship recycling

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us