site.btaBulgaria and NATO to Hold BULGARIA 2025 International Emergency Exercise, Sep. 7-12

Bulgaria and NATO will hold an International Emergency Exercise codenamed BULGARIA 2025 from September 7 to 12, 2025, the Bulgarian Interior Ministry said in a press release on Friday.

This is one of the world's largest and most complex emergency management exercises. It will be hosted by the Professional Training Centre for first responders in Montana, Northwestern Bulgaria.

The opening ceremony for the exercise will take place at the participants' Base of Operations in the village of Erden between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. on September 8. The ceremony includes welcoming addresses from senior officials of Bulgaria and NATO, a news conference, and opportunities for direct interaction of the media with the on-ground teams.

Exercise BULGARIA 2025 is organized jointly by the Directorate General for Fire Safety and Civil Protection of Bulgaria's Ministry of Interior, NATO's Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC), and NATO's Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE) in Bulgaria.

Around 1,200 participants from more than 40 countries (29 NATO Allies and 18 NATO Partners) and organizations are expected to take part. High-level representatives of civil and military emergency response authorities will also attend the Distinguished Visitors' Days on September 9 and 10, which includes observation of the exercise.

BULGARIA 2025 aims to strengthen participants' capacity to manage natural and industrial disasters, hybrid threats, complex emergencies, and to test procedures for logistical support of a country receiving international aid. 

The strategic objective is to build resilience through improved preparedness of both civilian and military responders and of the public at large. BULGARIA 2025 will enable participants from different countries to exercise together in a realistic training environment and will strengthen cooperation between civilian and military actors in responding to a range of crises, including climate change.