Bulgaria is suspected of manipulating inflation data by slashing hospital charges to qualify for the eurozone.

Bulgaria's 82.8% cut in hospital charges has raised suspicions of manipulation of inflation data needed for eurozone membership. Economists and officials have raised concerns that the Bulgarian government adjusted state-controlled prices to meet convergence criteria. The European Commission confirms that this has had a significant impact on the consumer price index, raising questions about the transparency of statistical data. The already precarious Bulgarian healthcare system also risks suffering financial losses as a result of these cuts.