site.btaSofia Security Forum President: Concept for Europe's Strategic Autonomy Is More Relevant than Ever

The concept of strategic autonomy for Europe is more relevant than ever, Sofia Security Forum President Yordan Bozhilov said here on Wednesday. He was speaking at the opening of a conference on "Technological Autonomy of the EU: Strategies, Financing, and Implementation." The forum was organized by the Sofia Security Forum and the Spanish Embassy in Sofia.

Autonomy does not mean isolation; it must mean smart diversification, reducing critical dependencies, and strengthening Europe's collective resilience. The COVID-19 crisis further exposed Europe's vulnerabilities, Bozhilov argued. "Supply chains collapsed, and we suddenly realized that for some products we are 100% dependent on distant suppliers," he added.

"We live in a time when geopolitics shapes our economy, our energy security, and the daily lives of citizens in our countries. Russia's aggression against Ukraine has painfully reminded us how dangerous it is to rely on a single supplier for vital energy resources," Bozhilov commented. "Europe's dependence on China and other Asian countries for critical raw materials and high-tech components raises questions about industrial resilience. The US remains our closest ally. Europe continues to rely on US defense systems. However, questions about the future of transatlantic relations are being asked more and more often in Europe," he said further.

"We need capabilities, political unity, and investment to reduce our dependence on energy, critical raw materials, semiconductors, and much more. These are efforts that will require hundreds of billions of euro, coordinated planning, and a new growth model," Bozhilov told the forum. In his words, the debate on European autonomy is no longer an abstraction; it is a question of whether Europe will remain just a market or become a strategic player. "For Bulgaria, it is a question of whether we will remain on the periphery of these processes or actively participate in shaping the future of Europe," Bozhilov said.