site.btaBulgaria Better Prepared to Fight Wildfires in 2026, Says Interior Minister

Bulgaria is better prepared to fight wildfires in 2026 thanks to the coordination established among institutions, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said here on Monday. He was speaking at a ceremony for the handover of new equipment to the General Directorate Fire Safety and Civil Protection under the EU-co-funded Human Resources Development Programme 2021–2027.

Labour and Social Policy Minister Nataliya Efremova and Fire Safety and Civil Protection Director Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov also attended the presentation of the new equipment.

Demerdzhiev said that Bulgarian firefighters have repeatedly demonstrated their professionalism, but to be fully effective, the government must invest in their training and provide them with the necessary equipment.

"Today, we can offer a good example of successful cooperation, albeit somewhat unconventional but extremely effective, between the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy," he added. Demerdzhiev thanked the Ministry and Efremova personally for their assistance.

Demerdzhiev said that funding managed by the Labour Ministry had so far helped train more than 130 firefighters and volunteers and purchase around 30 drones, approximately 500 pieces of firefighting equipment and communications equipment designed to improve coordination between firefighters and volunteers in disaster response operations. 

Interior Minister also thanked the volunteer units that assist in fighting fires, as well as representatives of local government. He said that the coordination established among institutions by the Prime Minister Rumen Radev had also enabled the Defence Ministry and the Agriculture and Food Ministry to join the efforts.

"We have done everything possible to prepare for the approaching summer season. I can confidently say that we are better prepared than last year," Demerdzhiev said.

He added that the authorities’ efforts were focused on prevention, early fire detection, rapid extinguishing and preventing fires from spreading, so that the consequences witnessed in recent years could be avoided.

Demerdzhiev noted that climate change was creating increasingly favourable conditions for disasters, including wildfires. "Our ambition is to prevent a repeat of events we have already witnessed. Climate conditions are deteriorating, but we want to be, and will be, increasingly prepared to meet these challenges," Demerdzhiev said.