site.btaContracts Worth over EUR 48 Mln Concluded between Bulgarian Companies, NATO Agencies in 2023, Economy Minister Says

Bulgarian companies from various sectors are actively participating in NATO international tenders, achieving increasing success, caretaker Economy and Industry Minister Petko Nikolov said here on Tuesday. He was speaking at an information day on NATO bidding opportunities for Bulgarian companies and organizations, organized by his Ministry on occasion of 20 years of this country in the Alliance.

"In recent years, the number and value of concluded and successfully implemented contracts has increased significantly. In 2023 alone, Bulgarian companies have concluded contracts with the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) and the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) worth over EUR 48 million," Nikolov added.

The Minister stressed that Bulgaria's NATO membership has opened up new opportunities for this country’s industry and international cooperation. In Nikolov’s words, his Ministry has worked consistently over the years to establish the necessary administrative and regulatory framework to ensure Bulgarian enterprises’ equal participation in NATO tenders. "The industry has proven to be a reliable, competitive, and loyal partner that has a lot to give to our Alliance partners," he said.

"The positive outcome of our joint efforts is already evident. The number of Bulgarian companies registered in the database of potential candidates for participation in NATO international tenders, maintained by the Economy and Industry Ministry, has surpassed 170. Over 200 have been listed in the NSPA’s database," Nikolov added.

He said that his Ministry will continue to work towards the successful integration and strengthening of Bulgaria's industrial presence in the Euro-Atlantic space.

"The changing geopolitical and international security landscape is driving a significant increase in defense spending," the Minister noted. "These are new opportunities for businesses that our industry must seize in order to remain competitive in global markets."

According to Ministry’s data made public in February, Bulgarian companies signed contracts worth over EUR 26 million in 2022 alone. Nine out of 41 projects approved for funding under the European Defence Fund involved Bulgarian participation. Bulgarian ammunition manufacturers have also gained the opportunity to expand their production capacity through EU grants under the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP). The aims of the EUR 500 million ASAP instrument are to support the EU's defence industry to ramp up its manufacturing capacities to match increased demand for ammunition and missiles.

Tuesday’s event brought together representatives of the Bulgarian defence industry, research and academic organizations, NCIA, and NSPA. The event was also attended by caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov.