site.btaPM Zhelyazkov to Attend First Eastern Flank Summit in Helsinki

Outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov will participate in the first Eastern Flank Summit on Tuesday in Helsinki, the Bulgarian government information service announced. The meeting is part of broader efforts to strengthen Europe’s defence posture and represents a key step in coordinating defence strategies among EU Member States, particularly along the Union’s eastern border, the statement said.

Among the topics to be discussed by the leaders are defence readiness and threats to European security stemming from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, border security, approaches to countering drones and airspace violations, as well as growing challenges, including those arising from hybrid attacks.

The one-day summit is hosted by Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. Leaders from seven EU Member States will take part: Bulgaria, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Lithuania.

In October, the European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy proposed to the Member States a roadmap to 2030 for maintaining peace and defence readiness, the European Commission said. 

The document represents a comprehensive plan to strengthen European defence capabilities. Drawn up in response to a request by the European Council in June 2025, the roadmap sets out clear objectives and milestones for addressing capability gaps, accelerating defence investment in the Member States and progressing towards full defence readiness by 2030.

The roadmap outlines four flagship initiatives: the European Drone Defence Initiative, surveillance of the eastern flank, the European Air Shield and the European Space Shield. These initiatives aim to strengthen Europe’s deterrence and defence capabilities across land, air, sea, cyberspace and outer space.