site.btaEC President Von Der Leyen to Visit Sofia Aug. 31

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be visiting Bulgaria on August 31, said the European Commission representation in Sofia Thursday. The visit will be part of her tour of the countries on the eastern border of the EU, that will also take her to Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania and Romania.

In Sofia, she will meet the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Rosen Zhelyazkov. The two will visit a leading state-owned defence factory and the largest armaments production site in the country.

The EC President's tour aims to highlight the support of the Commission for the Member States facing the challenges of sharing a border with Russia and Belarus. She will discuss with government leaders and military officials security and  defence in Europe.

On August 29, President Ursula von der Leyen will arrive in Riga, where she will meet with Prime Minister Evika Siliņa. They will visit a drone manufacturing facility that has received EU support through the NextGenerationEU mechanism.

Later in the day, she will be in Helsinki, where she will meet with the Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo. They will be briefed on Europe’s response to Russia’s shadow fleet and the threats of military actions targeting the seabed, specifically critical underwater infrastructure such as communication and power cables and energy pipelines. The President will attend a working dinner hosted by the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb.

On August 30, she will visit Estonia, where she will meet with Prime Minister Kristen Michal. She will also hold meetings with the Estonian Defence Forces and NATO representatives.

On August 31, Ursula von der Leyen will be in Poland to meet with Prime Minister Donald Tusk. They will travel to the border with Belarus to observe surveillance and border protection operations along the EU’s eastern frontier. Later in the day, she will be in Sofia.

On September 1, von der Leyen will travel to Vilnius, where she will meet with the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda. They will also visit the border with Belarus to review preparedness against hybrid and conventional threats.

In the afternoon, the President will travel to Romania, where she will meet with President Nicusor Dan and Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. They will visit the border with Ukraine. President von der Leyen will discuss EU-NATO cooperation, as well as the prevention, detection, defense, and deterrence of maritime and hybrid threats.