site.btaIt Is Honour, Responsibility for Bulgaria to Host NATO's Crisis Response Exercise - Interior Minister Mitov

Speaking at Erden Airfield in Boychinovtsi Municipality, where the BULGARIA 2025 emergency management exercise began earlier on Monday, Interior Minister Daniel Mitov said it is an honor and a responsibility for Bulgaria to host this NATO event focused on crisis response training.

"This is the largest civil protection exercise ever organized in Bulgaria under NATO," Mitov noted. "Alongside teams from NATO member states, we are also welcoming rescuers from 18 partner nations," he said, adding that a significant amount of work lies ahead, including simulated scenarios such as earthquakes and technological failures. "Our readiness to respond to natural disasters and other kinds of challenges will be put to the test. We will be testing not just the skills of rescuers and firefighters, but also the technological element," the Minister said. It will be interesting to observe how this technology is used in practice and what lessons can be learned to improve response times and save more lives, he added. "The exercise will not only improve coordination among different countries and among institutions within Bulgaria but also help us identify weaknesses and find ways to address them," Mitov said.

Commenting on the introduction of average speed detection via toll cameras, which came into force on Sunday, the Minister said the measure had had a clear disciplining effect on drivers. The vast majority are adhering to the speed limits, but there were still violations - 3,000 in just one day, he said.