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Background and aim: Currency integration is commonly viewed as a driver of macroeconomic stability and economic convergence within the European Union. However, empirical evidence increasingly indicates that post-integration economic recovery is unevenly distributed across regions and social groups. This study examines the extent to which currency integration generates socially and regionally asymmetric patterns of economic recovery, with a particular focus on Bulgaria in a broader European context. Scope: The analysis focuses on regional disparities between economically advanced and peripheral regions, as well as social differences in income, employment, and purchasing power. Comparative insights are drawn from selected European countries that have undergone similar currency integration processes. Methods: A quantitative comparative research design is applied, combining temporal and regional analysis. Secondary data from Eurostat, the National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria, the World Bank, and the European Central Bank are used to examine macroeconomic, regional, and social indicators before and after currency integration. Descriptive statistics and trend analysis are employed to assess regional dynamics, social distributional effects, the role of fiscal policy, and short- versus long-term recovery patterns. Results: The findings reveal pronounced regional disparities in the speed and sustainability of economic recovery, with economically advanced regions recovering faster than peripheral areas. Socially, higher-income and more adaptable groups benefit disproportionately, while households with low and fixed incomes remain more exposed to inflationary pressures. Fiscal policy is shown to partially mitigate these asymmetries, although its effectiveness is constrained by institutional and fiscal limitations. Short-term adjustment costs are more evident, while long-term convergence remains incomplete. Conclusions: Currency integration does not automatically lead to balanced economic recovery and may reinforce existing social and regional inequalities in the absence of effective compensatory mechanisms. Targeted fiscal and regional policies are therefore essential to support inclusive and territorially balanced recovery, particularly in emerging European economies. Originality: The study offers an integrated theoretical and empirical assessment of social and regional asymmetries in economic recovery after currency integration, providing evidence from Bulgaria within a comparative European framework. Practical implications: Policymakers should complement currency integration with active fiscal, social, and regional interventions to reduce inequalities and enhance the adaptive capacity of vulnerable regions and social groups. Published by University of Economics – Varna