site.btaDefence and Foreign Affairs Committees Hear Line Ministers on NATO Summit

Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov and Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev were given a hearing about the NATO Summit in The Hague in late June at Thursday's joint sitting of the parliamentary Defence and Foreign Affairs Committees. The hearing was closed to the media.

After the hearing of the two ministers, the committees will hold separate sittings. The Foreign Affairs Committee will put questions to Georg Georgiev at a closed hearing. The Defence Committee will hear Zapryanov on current defence policy matters, and the hearing will be open to the media.

NATO Allies agreed at the annual summit to increase their defence spending to 5% of GDP. The NATO member states will spend 3.5% of GDP on core defence requirements, such as troops and weapons, and 1.5% on broader defence-related measures, such as cyber security, protecting pipelines and adapting roads and bridges to handle heavy military vehicles.

After the NATO Summit, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said: "Bulgaria is in the process of transforming its defence capabilities."

On July 8, the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) activated the national escape clause under the Stability and Growth Pact for 15 member states, including Bulgaria, to help facilitate their transition to higher defence spending at national level while ensuring debt sustainability. The clause covers a period of four years and a maximum of 1.5% of GDP in flexibility. This means that the Commission and the Council may decide not to open a new excessive deficit procedure for these 15 member states, provided that the excess is due to increased defence spending.