site.btaDefence Minister Urges MPs to Approve Pay Increase for Defence and Boost Capital Expenditure

Caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov told the media on the sidelines of Parliament on Friday that he appealed to MPs to support the State Budget in its part for social spending on defence, which provides for an increase in salaries, and to review capital spending and increase the quota because of the projects for the modernization of the army.

He noted that the salary increase is important in order to fill the vacant positions in the Bulgarian army, recalling that it is in accordance with an amendment to the Defence and Armed Forces Act. 

"We need to have the staffs filled, however the budget does not provide us with enough funds for capital expenditures, it is oriented that Bulgaria should spend 2% of GDP on defence, and the NATO opinion is, already the European Defence Commissioner said that the member states should spend 3% and up", Zapryanov pointed out.

He said that he had asked for 2.5%. According to him, the financial framework for the projects regarding the rearmament of the armed forces should be re-planned with the salary increase.