The European Defence Agency needs to grow stronger and act faster to help EU countries build up their defence and make better use of EU tools, deputy defence minister Lyubomir Monov said in Brussels, the defence ministry reports.

Monov spoke at a meeting of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council in its defence format and at a meeting of the agency's steering board.

The meeting saw the first annual report on defence readiness presented and discussed. The ministry says the report gives EU countries a clear picture for tracking progress and setting the next priorities.

"The European Defence Agency can play an ever bigger role in this process," Monov said. He said Europe's defence readiness depends not just on more spending but also on better coordination between countries.

The deputy minister backed a second stage of steps to strengthen the agency, giving it wider powers over innovation, building up capabilities, and buying defence products and services jointly.

The meeting flagged military mobility as key to security on the eastern flank and in the Black Sea region. Monov also pointed to the need for air and missile defence, drones, and systems to counter drones.

Monov also met Sebastian Hartmann, parliamentary state secretary at Germany's federal defence ministry. The two discussed deeper bilateral military cooperation and speeding up joint projects under the EU's SAFE fund.

Bulgaria asked for its defence industry to play a bigger part in these projects, through industrial cooperation and a place in European supply chains. The two sides also discussed possible long-term partnerships with Germany's defence industry.

Monov led the Bulgarian delegation at an informal meeting of EU defence ministers in Ireland on August 31 and September 1. The meeting covered EU military support for Ukraine and cooperation in the defence industry.