site.btaEurope's Rearmament Discussed by MPs, MEPs, Military, Experts in Sofia

The rearmament of Europe was discussed by MPs, MEPs, military and experts at the first edition of the Sofia Security Conference here on Friday. The event was organised by MEP Andrey Novakov (GERB-EPP). An exhibition of military equipment was held on the sidelines of the forum. 

In 2023 alone, we exported defence production worth more than BGN 4.2 billion, Novakov said at the opening of the forum. According to him, nearly 100,000 people in Bulgaria are employed in the defence industry.

"Nobody believed that within three years Europe would have to deal with a viral pandemic and its consequences, which have claimed millions of lives, with a war on the continent, with a war in the Middle East, with a migration wave. Crisis seems to be the word with which this decade will be remembered. If we act smart this time, if we put Bulgaria in the right place in this complex environment, it could be the beginning of a golden decade for Bulgarian industry", the MEP commented.

"Europe has finally started to come out of the role of the 'sleeping beauty' who is just present while things happen in the world. For the first time in the history of the EU, funding is being earmarked for the rearmament and defence of the continent. What has happened in NATO since the beginning of this year is something very positive, because it has woken Europe up. We have realised that we have to take care of ourselves," Novakov said.

The European Defence Agency Deputy Executive Director, General Andre Denk, said that the Agency's efforts are complementary to NATO's activities as it supports EU Member States in developing their military capabilities, which they specifically need for collective defence. The European Defence Agency is an organisation that stands at the heart of Europe's defence efforts, he added. It is the intergovernmental link at EU level for cooperation, planning, innovation and prioritisation. The European Defence Agency was set up to foster cooperation between Member States' defence ministries. So the Agency, in a way, belongs to the 27 defence ministries of the European Union, General Denk explained.

He went on to say that the Agency is a platform for cooperation and it essentially contributes to the EU's common effort to ensure that the countries are ready to face the challenges of a deteriorating security environment. The theme of Friday's conference reflects the attention paid by Member States and specifically Bulgaria to strengthening defence, General Denk noted.

According to Deputy Defence Minister Radostin Iliev, the pressing need to rearm Europe sends a clear signal that a new phase of defence cooperation between European countries in the field of defence. The main focus of the Ministry of Defence is on the opportunities for accelerating the rearmament and modernisation of the Bulgarian Army and the implementation of the national plans for building the necessary defence capabilities. "We support the full inclusion of the Bulgarian defence industry in the process of Europe's rearmament," Iliev said.

On March 4, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented a plan for the EU's rearmament, which could reach EUR 800 billion over the next five years. According to the proposal, EU countries will be exempted from budgetary spending requirements when they invest in defence. Countries would have the freedom to reallocate EU cohesion funds to defence purposes. Von der Leyen proposes that EUR 150 billion be provided through loans for the procurement of munitions, air defence systems, missiles and drones.