ANTI-EURO PROTESTERS SET FIRE OUTSIDE EU MISSION IN SOFIA

SOFIA, Feb 23 (Bernama-dpa) -- Nationalists in Bulgaria have set fire outside the European Union (EU) mission in the capital Sofia as a protest against the planned introduction of the euro currency turned violent on Saturday, reported German news agency dpa.

Protesters also poured red paint onto the glass facade of the building in the centre of the capital and pelted it with Molotov cocktails and eggs.

Police said six demonstrators were detained and 10 police officers were injured.

The government in Sofia condemned the violence. The Cabinet, which has been in office since January, wants Bulgaria to join the eurozone on Jan 1, 2026. Bulgaria has been an EU member since 2007.

In a post on X, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, spoke of "outrageous scenes in Sofia where our EU office has been vandalised".

"In Europe, we exercise the right to demonstrate in a peaceful way. Violence and vandalism are never the answer," von der Leyen asserted.

“No to the euro,” supporters of the pro-Russian nationalist and populist Vazrazhdane (Revival) party shouted at a rally outside the Bulgarian National Bank.

Vazrazhdane accuses the national bank of falsifying data in order to enable the introduction of the euro. The party fears Bulgaria would lose its national sovereignty when it drops the Bulgarian national currency, the lev.

Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov called for a referendum on keeping the lev. Bulgaria's Parliament denied a 2023 referendum on the currency issue.

According to an opinion poll conducted by the Bulgarian Mjara Institute at the end of January, more than half of adults (57.1 per cent) are against the introduction of the euro "in principle", while 39 per cent are in favour. Only 25.7 per cent support joining the eurozone in 2026.

-- BERNAMA-dpa