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Bulgaria supports EU recovery funds to be directed towards defense production

by AI | 10.Mar 2025 | Europe in brief AI

Increasing the capabilities of the military industry is extremely important for the defense of Europe, said the Bulgarian prime minister.

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov (second from right in the photo) at the "Arsenal" arms factory in Kazanlak and the executive director of "Arsenal" AD and "Arsenal-2000" AD in Kazanlak, engineer Hristo Ibushev (second from left in the photo) Photo: Ralitsa Stefanova/BTA

KAZANLAK – Bulgaria has proposed that unused EU funds from the recovery and resilience plan be used for defense purposes, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced. He noted that this proposal was considered at the European Council meeting last week. Immediately after the meeting in Brussels, Zhelyazkov visited factories of the Bulgarian military-industrial complex.

The Prime Minister noted that the use of EU budget funds for cohesion for defense purposes will be voluntary. Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev clarified that he is against such a step.

Zhelyazkov stated that the rearmament process of the Bulgarian Army is continuous. Increasing the capacity of the military industry is extremely important for the defense of Europe, not only because of Europe’s ability to defend its rights, freedoms, and understanding of its value system acquired after the Second World War but also for Bulgaria, which possesses these capabilities and can develop both markets and its own defensive capacity, he said during a visit to the Arsenal weapons factory.

The Prime Minister also visited the state military enterprise “Vazovski Mashinostroitelni Zavodi” and stated that he was extremely impressed by what he saw. According to him, there are many opportunities for further development through the European industrial defense strategy.

Last week, Zhelyazkov stated in Brussels that Bulgaria has a strong military industry that should develop, modernize, and contribute to overall European security. We have a clear national position that funding should not affect the EU’s cohesion funds, the Prime Minister said in relation to the European Commission’s proposals for the rearmament of the EU. Our industry is technologically very tied to old Soviet technologies, but it has potential, and it should be developed based on industrial cooperation according to NATO standards, insisted the Bulgarian Prime Minister.

Our defense industry must be flexible enough to develop also in terms of the diversity of products, Zhelyazkov noted. He commented that the issue of joint production in the EU is the best way to save funds from scale. (March 7)