site.btaGERB Leader Borissov: Need to Build Common European Defence System Is Becoming More Urgent

With the growing geopolitical challenges facing the European Union, the need to build a common European defence system is becoming more urgent. This is what GERB leader Boyko Borissov said on Friday at a meeting with MEPs, members of the defence and foreign affairs committee in the European Parliament (EP), including Andrey Novakov, who is a member of the EP's defence committee, Atanas Zapryanov, Minister of Defence, and Hristo Gadzhev, chairman of the defence committee in the National Assembly. The conversation was announced by Boyko Borissov on his Facebook account.

The aim is to achieve greater interoperability between member states, synchronise military efforts, develop joint capabilities and increase the EU's strategic autonomy, Borissov noted. In his words, this means not only closer cooperation within the European Defence Agency, but also joint planning of investments and research in the field of defence.

The countries on NATO's Eastern flank are no longer peripheral to the European Union. Increasing the percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) spent on defence is not only a fulfilment of commitments to NATO, but also a strategic necessity considering the war in Ukraine and growing instability, he points out. “Bulgaria is already taking concrete steps with a commitment to reach 5% of GDP for defence as part of the joint collective security effort. We also have an advantage - the Bulgarian military-industrial complex is the backbone of European defence capabilities in the region,” the publication adds.