The Ministry of Defence is awaiting an official letter from Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, which will provide detailed information regarding the figures and loan conditions under the SAFE program. This was announced personally by the Minister of Defence, Atanas Zapryanov, during a meeting of the relevant parliamentary committee, where he was answering current questions from Members of Parliament.
Details of the SAFE Program
Zapryanov noted that the European Commission recently announced the approval of the preliminary distribution of a colossal 150 billion euros, intended for financial assistance aimed at increasing defence readiness in the European Union. This large-scale initiative, which aims to facilitate the joint procurement of defence products by member states, has already attracted the interest of 19 EU countries, including Bulgaria. According to preliminary data, a budget of nearly 3.27 billion euros is planned for our country within the framework of this program.
"We will conduct an analysis for the use of this amount for the nine projects we have stated," Minister Zapryanov said before the committee.
He added that at the next meeting, they will be able to report on the start of work on the national plan, which must be prepared by November 30 and submitted for approval to the European Commission. With his words, he emphasized the dynamism and commitment of the Ministry in the process. The meeting was held with strong interest from the MPs, and the minister answered all questions with visible composure and professionalism.
Equipping the Army
In addition to the questions related to financial assistance, the minister also touched on the topic of equipping the army. He announced that there are visible improvements in this aspect, which is key to the operational readiness of the Bulgarian armed forces. These positive signals come against the background of the overall European efforts to strengthen defence, which is an increasingly relevant topic in the international political situation.