Bulgaria dropped the lev and became the 21st state to adopt the euro. The country, among the poorest in the EU, has had 10 governments in five years, and both the prime minister and president recently resigned; the upheaval has overshadowed “one of the most dramatic cultural changes… in generations,” The New York Times reported.
Joining the EU theoretically obliges states to adopt the euro, but few new entrants seem keen: None of Czechia, Poland, Romania, or Sweden have any plans in place. Croatia dropped the kuna in 2023, and the change was met with widespread stories about rampant inflation — perhaps explaining other countries’ reluctance — although the European Central Bank said that price rises continued on existing trends.
