site.btaImproving EU’s Defence Readiness Tops Agenda of EU Defence Ministerial

The European Union's defence readiness and its military support to Ukraine were the focus of an informal meeting of the EU defence ministers. The forum took place on August 30 in Brussels and was attended by Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov, said his ministry on Friday.  
  
Minister Zapryanov reaffirmed Bulgaria's commitment to the EU's joint efforts in support of Ukraine and outlined assistance provided by Bulgaria in accordance with the decisions of the National Assembly and the government. 
 
He underlined the importance of the Ukraine Assistance Fund and the EU’s support efforts as key instruments for sustainable support. "The results of the NATO summit in Washington, as well as the launch of EU accession negotiations clearly demonstrate Ukraine's irreversible Euro-Atlantic path," Minister Zapryanov said. 

During the meeting, the defence ministers stressed the need to improve the EU's defence readiness against the backdrop of increased security threats. They called for the development of innovative military capabilities and the filling of the current gap using EU instruments.  

They highlighted the implementation of the European Defence Industrial Programme, which provides a number of new instruments to promote the development of defence capabilities as well as the defence industry, with EU funding secured. A total of EUR1.5 billion from the European budget for the period 2025-2027 is planned for the programme, with this amount expected to increase over the period of the next financial framework. The Programme is expected to be approved by the Council at the end of this year and by the European Council in the middle of next year.  

The discussion was attended by NATO Assistant Secretary General Angus Lapsley, UN Under-Secretary General Jean-Pierre Lacroix and the Chair of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Security and Defence Marie-Agnes Zimmermann.  
  
In a separate session dedicated to the EU Satellite Centre, ministers discussed the Centre's achievements over the past year, its resourcing challenges and the increasing need for access to technology, infrastructure and data sources.