Alongside Poland, five other EU member states also fall short of the requirements, including Bulgaria, which had aimed to adopt the euro in 2025.

To qualify for eurozone membership, a country must satisfy four specific conditions.

One key requirement is price stability, which mandates that inflation should not exceed 1.5% above the average inflation rate of the three eurozone countries with the lowest inflation.

The second benchmark focuses on public finances, stipulating that the budget deficit should be no more than 3% of GDP, and public debt should not surpass 60% of GDP.

Due to exceeding the budget deficit limit, the European Commission placed Poland under the excessive deficit procedure on June 19, along with six other countries.

The final decision on this procedure will be made by the finance ministers of the member states in July.

The third condition involves currency stability, requiring participation in the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II) for at least two years.

The fourth condition pertains to long-term interest rates, which must not exceed 2% above the average rate of the three eurozone countries with the lowest interest rates.

The report also highlights that Poland has not aligned its national laws with EU treaty provisions, further hindering its eurozone entry. Currently, seven EU member states remain outside the eurozone: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Sweden.

The European Commission stressed that all these countries, except Denmark, are legally required to join the eurozone. Denmark, benefiting from an opt-out clause, is not subject to the convergence criteria assessment.

Among the non-eurozone countries, Bulgaria is the closest to joining, having planned to adopt the euro in early 2025. However, the Commission notes that Bulgaria has still not met the price stability requirement.