Bulgaria and the euro government, notably economy minister Petar Dimitrov, have speculated about unilaterally introducing the euro, which was not well-met by the European Commission. The lev is not part of ERM-II, but since the launch of the euro in 1999, it has been pegged to the euro at a fixed rate of €1 = BGN 1.95583 through a strictly managed currency board. In all of the three latest annual assessment reports, Bulgaria managed to comply with four out of the five economic convergence criteria for euro adoption, only failing to comply with the criteria requiring the currency of the state to have been
Beer in Bulgaria Beer in Bulgaria The modern history of beer in Bulgaria (, "pivo" or бира, "bira") dates back to the 19th century, when it was introduced to the country by foreigners (from Austria-Hungary, France and Switzerland) shortly before the Liberation of Bulgaria. Until then, beer was practically unknown in what used to be a mainly rakia and wine-drinking country. Today, Bulgaria ranks 15th by beer consumption per capita, with 73 litres a year. The Hungarian exiles in Shumen, led by Lajos Kossuth after the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, brewed beer and are thought to have found followers among the locals. However,