site.btaBulgaria to Increase Defence Spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2032 - Defence Minister Zapryanov

Bulgaria will increase its defence spending to 3.5% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2032, said Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov here on Tuesday during a forum focused on opportunities to deepen defence cooperation between Bulgaria and Germany, as well as current trends in the defence industry.

“To ensure the success of our investment projects in the field of defence, our spending reached the 2% of GDP target in 2024. However, this is no longer sufficient, and we have decided to increase our defence spending to at least 2.5–3%, with a goal of reaching 3.5% of GDP by 2032 as a minimum level to succeed in our modernization efforts,” Zapryanov said.

“Russia is the most serious and direct threat to Euro-Atlantic security. We must be prepared to deal with long-term instability. This is especially relevant for our regional security in the Black Sea and Southeastern Europe. To address today’s and tomorrow’s risks and threats, we are now focused on strengthening our national defense within NATO’s collective planning framework and the EU’s common security and defense policy,” the Minister explained.

To build and improve Bulgaria’s defence capabilities, the Ministry of Defence is actively seeking cooperation with the Bulgarian defence industry and is ready to support it, Zapryanov added. 

Bulgaria will aim to use EU mechanisms to create greater fiscal flexibility for defense spending, while maintaining a conservative fiscal policy in view of its expected accession to the eurozone, Zapryanov said Monday during the B9 (Bucharest Nine) summit of heads of state and government in Vilnius, Lithuania.