In its latest Convergence Report for 2026, the European Commission concluded that Poland does not yet meet the criteria for adopting the euro. According to the report, none of the five EU countries that do not use the single European currency fulfils all the necessary requirements of the Maastricht Treaty.
The report pays particular attention to Poland’s macroeconomic indicators. The main obstacle was the significant government budget deficit: in 2025, it reached 7.3 per cent of GDP, which is more than double the maximum permissible level of 3 per cent of GDP set by EU rules.
“Poland is making progress in some areas; however, the persistently high budget deficit and the associated risks to price stability and public finances mean that a transition to the euro cannot be recommended at this stage,” the European Commission notes in its conclusions.
The report assesses compliance with the convergence criteria across four key areas:
Price stability (inflation)
The state of public finances (deficit and public debt)
Exchange rate stability
Long-term interest rates
According to the European Commission, problems with the budget deficit are observed not only in Poland but also in other candidate countries. Nevertheless, Poland’s figure of 7.3 per cent stands out as one of the highest.