Navigating Euro Communication – Communications and CSR WG Meeting – OVERVIEW

On February 20, 2026, the AmCham Bulgaria Communicators’ Community gathered for their first meeting for 2026 to discuss how did companies managed with the communication of the euro adoption since the EC’s positive convergence report in July 2025, and the following preparation of business, citizens, and the institutions to accept and be ready to use the EU single currency as of January 1st, 2026. The meeting was hosted by Progress Software – their second hosting in past three years.

The group was welcomed by Simeon Stoychev, Vice President Information Technology, Progress Software.

The “Navigating Euro Communication“ panel welcomed the views of Zornitza Venkova, Head of Communications at the Representation of the European Commission in Sofia, Ekaterina Ancheva, Public Relations and Communications Director, UniCredit Bulbank, and Board Member, Bulgarian Public Relations Association, and Diana Dimova, Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility Director, Fantastico Group.

Zornitsa shared: “We conducted a step-by-step communication campaign, with the goal to inform the people of the coming change – becoming a stronger part of the European family. We went and talked with farmers and people of rural regions. They came with questions and concerns, but once we explained the benefits of this transition they left calmer, informed and prepared.”

Talking about UniCredit’s long-year preparation, Ekaterina explained that: “Our preparations for the Euro officially began at the end of 2021, and even then it was clear that this would not be a formal project, but one of the most complex transformations for the banking sector in recent years. We approached it entirely as a project – with parallel streams for IT and system readiness, operations, branches, front-line training, legal framework, and communications. Technology and people had to go hand in hand because you cannot change systems without cultural adaptation. We began from the inside out with a clear internal campaign and consistent messaging. The investment for the sector exceeded €200 million—in IT transformation, infrastructure, cash logistics, training, and communication—but in reality, it was a trust management project. The biggest effort was to avoid an information vacuum and conflicting signals, especially in the last three months before the launch, when communication precision is critical. We analyzed the experience of other countries, but adapted the approach to our context.”

How Fantastico was able to welcome customers from January 1st, 2026, Diana explained that: “The preparation for the transition to Euro at Fantastico continued throughout the whole 2025 and did involve a number of departments such as Legal, IT, Sales, Marketing and communication. Four million Euros were invested in the migration system, equipping our supermarkets with nearly 500,000 electronic price labels and a number of training sessions were conducted for the team in order to be fully prepared for our first working day on January 1, 2026. We coped in the best way possible due to the comprehensive preparation, the enormous teamwork, the impeccable work of our colleagues in the supermarkets, accurate and reliable information given across all communication channels.”

The fireside chat welcomed the views and insight of Gergana Ivanova, Chairperson of the Bulgarian Public Relations Association (БДВО) on how does the PR Industry develops that originate from the brand-new PR Navigator 2026 Survey

Daniel Kiryakov, Communications and Public Affairs Manager, AmCham Bulgaria moderated both segments of the program, and delivered the presentation of AmCham Bulgaria Highlights 2025 and Events 2026.

Library

Moments from the Meeting