“Farewell, Lev!” – How Europe Won a Small Victory Against Putin

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1. Bulgaria’s accession to the eurozone is a strong symbol , writes Etienne Gernel of French radio RTL in an editorial. This small country, once a member of the Warsaw Pact, will adopt the euro on January 1, 2026, thus strengthening Europe against Russian influence.

   This was confirmed on Tuesday, July 8, by the European Union’s finance ministers: Bulgaria will become the 21st member of the eurozone from January 1, 2026 – a truly symbolic event.

   There can’t be all bad news in the world – and this is good news. As Russian troops advance in Ukraine, Europe has scored a small but significant symbolic victory against Vladimir Putin’s attempts to reestablish the sphere of influence of the former Soviet empire.

   Yes, Bulgaria is a small country of 6.5 million people and will be the poorest economy in the eurozone . But it carries symbolism. It is a former Warsaw Pact country where Russian influence remains palpable – including in politics.

   Bulgaria is located on the Black Sea, next to Ukraine and Russia. It is the only country in the EU that uses the Cyrillic alphabet . Bulgarians will proudly say that they created it – another symbol.

   A choice that strengthens Europe

   Yet not all Bulgarians are thrilled with this choice. According to polls, half of the population opposes the introduction of the euro – mostly the nationalist and pro-Russian opposition, which repeats the message: “The euro means inflation . ”

   Bulgaria is one of many political battlegrounds in Eastern Europe where Russian influence divides public opinion. For a country that gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1908 and broke free from Soviet influence in 1989, today’s choice is one of affirming its European path – a political decision that strengthens not only Europe but the euro itself.

   For many years, the euro was a cause for skepticism: the debt crisis, the situation in Greece… Even in France, some politicians talked (and still talk, albeit more quietly) about leaving the eurozone.

   The euro is on the rise

   The euro is on the rise these days . Donald Trump’s economic unpredictability is weakening confidence in the dollar and simultaneously strengthening confidence in the euro – even if it doesn’t displace the dollar in the near future.

   Bulgaria’s accession to the eurozone has been in preparation for a long time. Economically, this is not a grandiose event , but for both Moscow and Washington, it has serious symbolic weight .

   ” All the birds flew on the path of hope ,” Sylvie Vartan sang about her native Bulgaria, which she left as a teenager. Today, however, there is no need for exile – Bulgaria is fully and completely part of Europe.

2. Man, this guy posts every day on r/europe about Bulgaria adopting euro :))))) 🤦‍♂️

3. Meanwhile back at the farm:

   Russian president is going to make his US counterpart “look like a Muppet” by continuing to bomb its neighbour.

   So much for treating Trump as anything other than the Putz he is.

4. Congratulations to the neighbours! 🇧🇬

5. Russia tried hard with anti-euro propaganda in Bulgaria. Thankfully, they failed.

6. Yet they didn’t have enough balls for a referendum… The EU can still win, but only at the price of less democracy.

7. You would think that Kremlin wants Bulgaria in its ‘sphere of influence’. But for rashists Bulgaria is much more important ideologically. Bulgaria is their claim to “third Rome” ideology. In their book, it is the biggest extent of their victory against the Ottomans. And Turks for them are the existential occupiers of Constantinople.

   And that’s not some fringe conspiracy thing. This is what Putin and Dugin are constantly repeating.

8. It’s laughable this was even allowed to happen. Country is an absolute disaster. Due to their insatiable corruption theres barely a functioning government. I’m all for it but the standard of living and quality of life in Bulgaria is way worse compared to the other 20 member states.

9. To deem death of a national currency as win over Russian influence is sad, as it’s damaging to the culture of Bulgaria, has barely anything to do with Russia in itself.

10. Varna and Burgas are going to be boom with Europeans looking for a cheap weekend on holiday getaway.

11. Welcome. Benefits of being in single currency zone far exceeds the initial price hike, don’t get distracted by that.

12. I read the discussion and didn’t understand. Is Putin humiliated or not? What will the Bulgarians say?..

13. I am a Bulgarian and it is a massive win for me but unfortunately the battle with Russian propaganda is still not over. This is only one battle won and I can see how much Russia invests to cause chaos here.
    There are 2-3 political parties that lead protests against the euro, EU and NATO.
    And I can see them getting stronger in the future

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