SOFIA — July 8, 2025 — As Bulgaria edges closer to adopting the euro, top intelligence officials are set to appear before a parliamentary commission this week to brief lawmakers on potential national security risks that could hinder the country’s accession.
The closed-door hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, July 10, will see the heads of Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security (SANS), the State Intelligence Agency, and the Military Intelligence Service provide updates before the Commission for Control over the Security Services.
The session was convened by the commission’s chairman, Atanas Atanasov, amid rising concerns over covert foreign efforts to destabilize Bulgaria’s transition to the euro. The intelligence chiefs will present detailed risk assessments and outline the actions their agencies have taken to protect Bulgaria’s strategic interest in joining the eurozone.
Among the primary concerns is a wave of foreign-led disinformation and influence operations, reportedly aimed at sowing public mistrust and undermining institutional confidence in the euro adoption process. “These operations target our economic and political stability during a sensitive period,” a parliamentary source told The Sofia Times.
The briefing will include analysis of the tools and narratives employed in such campaigns, their origins, and the counterstrategies in place to neutralize their effects. Due to the classified nature of the material, the hearing will not be open to the public or media.
The intelligence session comes just two days after a pivotal moment in the eurozone accession process. On July 8, the European Parliament is expected to vote on Bulgaria’s readiness to join the eurozone. The vote, scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Bulgarian time in Strasbourg, requires a simple majority to pass.
A positive outcome would pave the way for the Council of EU Finance Ministers to formally approve the next phase of Bulgaria’s eurozone integration during their upcoming meeting in Brussels.
Bulgaria, which joined the European Union in 2007 and entered the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II) in 2020, has long viewed euro adoption as a cornerstone of its economic and geopolitical alignment with Europe.
However, Bulgarian officials have repeatedly warned that hybrid threats, including misinformation and external manipulation, are intensifying as the country approaches this critical milestone.
If the European Parliament vote succeeds and no last-minute complications arise, Bulgaria could adopt the euro as early as January 1, 2026 — a goal reaffirmed by Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov and the Bulgarian National Bank earlier this year.
The upcoming intelligence hearing is seen as both a safeguard and a statement of resolve as Bulgaria counters malign efforts to delay or derail its European future.