The European Commission is setting aside another €130m to improve monitoring of the EU's external borders and to protect them from drones, EPP MEP Emil Radev said at a briefing in the European Parliament on Wednesday, 21 October.

The Commission approved the money last week. It comes on top of the €420m the Commission gave earlier to guard the EU's external borders.

Radev linked the need for the new funds to incidents involving merchant ships in the Black Sea, including near Bulgarian and Romanian territorial waters. He said these cases pose a risk to the economy, the environment and people's safety, including that of Bulgarian fishermen.

The MEP said the situation also worries the tourism industry. Firms have yet to agree their packages for the 2027 season.

Radev said Bulgaria must show it can protect its territorial waters and the merchant ships that pass through them. He said the country should use every chance of EU solidarity and NATO support to strengthen its defence.

Radev said Bulgaria's ability to counter drones is limited, so the country needs more money and access to modern technology. He called the government's response to the threats and drone incidents too cautious.

The MEP will push for more money to guard Bulgaria's borders, including under the EU's SAFE programme and other EU programmes. He did not say how much Bulgaria will ask for. He wants the country to get the most it can from EU support.

Radev said the government must take an active part in EU initiatives. Only then will the country get more money for defence, he said.

The European Parliament is due to vote on Thursday, 22 October, on a resolution that also concerns Bulgaria. It calls on the Bulgarian authorities to act more firmly through diplomacy and to take a bigger part in EU and NATO efforts to strengthen defence.

A delegation from the European Parliament's defence committee is expected in Bulgaria on 30 October. It will visit Sofia and Varna. Radev and MEP Andrey Novakov are organising the visit.

On 20 October, MEP Elena Yoncheva asked the European Commission, in a plenary debate in the European Parliament, to set up a fund for the ports of Varna, Burgas and Constanta, to pay for safety measures and spare equipment.

The aim is for committee members to see the situation on the ground, the rescue and coordination centres, and what the Bulgarian military can do.