site.btaBulgaria Approved to Join European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats

At its meeting held on May 26, 2023 in Helsinki, the Governing Board of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE)  unanimously approved the application for Bulgaria to join the centre, said the Foreign Ministry on its website. An official invitation to the Republic of Bulgaria to join will be sent out, after which the Foreign Minister will submit a notification for the official accession of Bulgaria to the Memorandum of Understanding signed when the center was created, completing the official procedure.

Hybrid CoE was established in 2017 in the city of Helsinki, the Foreign Ministry recalled. It involves EU member states and NATO allies. Bulgaria's interest in joining was further determined by the changes in European security architecture, the need to increase the resilience of the country and to achieve a more adequate understanding of hybrid threats and the timely addressing of vulnerabilities on a national, regional and European level, the statement reads.

The decision to join was discussed and taken during a meeting of the caretaker government at the end of April this year. Bulgaria was the only country among the EU member states not represented by the organization.

The centre supports the building of operational capabilities through training and practical exercises of experts from participating countries and enables EU-NATO joint work and exercises, covering a wide range of activities in the civil and military sectors, from countering malicious influences to hybrid warfare.