25 Years of EU Enlargement

25th anniversary of the 2004 EU enlargement

Sixth joint issue of the European Union. All 21 eurozone states issued a coin with the same design on different dates. The coins differ only in the legend, which appears in the respective national language.

On 1 May 2004, the European Union experienced the largest enlargement in its history: ten states – eight Central and Eastern European countries as well as Malta and Cyprus – joined simultaneously. For millions of people who had previously lived under communist rule, this step meant a definitive return to Western European structures. The enlargement overcame the decades-long division of the continent caused by the Iron Curtain and decisively shaped the Europe of today – politically, economically, and institutionally.

Bulgaria itself was not among the countries joining in 2004, but followed only on 1 January 2007, together with Romania, as part of the so-called fifth round of EU enlargement. The path there was a long one: Bulgaria already signed an association agreement with the EU in 1995, joined NATO in 2004, and finally the European Union itself in 2007. The 2004 enlargement is regarded as a decisive precedent – it proved that the accession of post-communist states could succeed institutionally and politically, thereby paving the way for Bulgaria's own accession three years later. With the introduction of the euro on 1 January 2026, Bulgaria finally completed its European integration. The country marks the 25th anniversary of the 2004 enlargement in 2029 with its own 2-euro commemorative coin, honoring a milestone that also decisively shaped its own accession history.