site.btaBulgaria Needs to Find Its Niche: Sofia Security Forum President

Bulgaria needs to prepare in due time proposals for projects to be developed within the framework of the initiative announced by the European Commission to enhance the EU's defence capabilities. Countries like Bulgaria must find their niche, otherwise we will only be buyers, not producers, Sofia Security Forum (SSF) President Yordan Bozhilov told BTA in connection with the upcoming information seminar on European defence and opportunities for Bulgarian business in the development and production of defence products, to be held on April 23 at the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The event is funded under European and national programmes. Those interested in participating can register at projects4@bcci.bg.

Yordan Bozhilov has over 20 years of experience in the Ministry of Defence, was Deputy Minister of Defence, and worked at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. He is currently a security and defence analyst and lecturer at Sofia University.

The European Commission recently came up with a proposal to generate an additional EUR 800 billion for defence over the next four years. According to Bozhilov, part of these funds - 650 billion - should come from an additional increase in the defence budgets of the member states, and 150 billion - from loans that the Commission will negotiate with banks. Separately, the European Investment Bank is launching a programme to finance defence enterprises.

The security expert said that Bulgaria needs a rapid assessment, to be carried out jointly by the defence business, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Economy and Industry, together with universities, on what defence products to invest in so that the country can take a leading position in manufacturing within the EU. At present, the Bulgarian defence business mainly produces weapons and munitions to non-NATO standards. The export of this production is to markets where similar conditions are not set, and there seems to be little interest in investing in other production, Bozhilov said. On the other hand, Europe's rearmament processes open opportunities for Bulgarian high-tech companies to participate with their own projects and prototypes in areas such as medicine, various robotic systems, software solutions, maritime and aerial drones, products based on artificial intelligence and many others, he added.