site.btaPM Zhelyazkov to Participate in First Eastern Flank Summit

Outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov will participate in the first Eastern Flank Summit on December 16 in Helsinki, the government information service announced on Monday. The meeting is part of broader efforts to strengthen European security and represents a key step in coordinating defence strategies among member states, especially at the EU’s eastern border, the statement said. 

Among the topics that leaders will discuss are defence readiness and threats to European security arising from Russian aggression against Ukraine, border security, an approach to drone defence and airspace violations, and growing challenges, including those arising from hybrid attacks.

The one-day summit is hosted by Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. The Prime Ministers of Sweden (Ulf Kristersson), Estonia (Kristen Michal), Latvia (Evika Siliņa), Poland (Donald Tusk) and the Presidents of Romania (Nicușor Dan), and Lithuania (Gitanas Nauseda), will take part in the summit.

In October, the European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, proposed a roadmap to member states for maintaining peace and defence readiness until 2030. 

The document is a comprehensive plan to strengthen European defence capabilities. The roadmap, drawn up in response to a request from the European Council in June 2025, sets out clear objectives and milestones for closing capability gaps, accelerating defence investment in member states, and progressing towards full defence readiness by 2030.

Among the roadmap's key proposals are four flagship projects: the Eastern Flank Watch, the European Drone Defence Initiative, the European Air Shield, and the European Space Shield. These will strengthen Europe's deterrence and defence capabilities on land, in the air, at sea, in cyberspace, and in outer space.