Prime minister Rumen Radev has asked the European Union for technical help with the investigation into a drone attack on two merchant ships in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, the Council of Ministers said. At a meeting there, he briefed Henna Virkkunen, executive vice-president of the European Commission, on how the investigation is going.

Drones hit both ships, and one of them sank.

Radev mainly wants specialised EU bodies to carry out a deep-sea survey of the sunken ship so that all the facts can be established. Bulgaria is also asking for help in finding the remains of the drones used in the attack.

Deputy prime minister Atanas Pekanov and minister of innovation and digital transformation Ivan Vasilev also attended. The talks were mostly about how to secure stable investment in technology and innovation in Europe while negotiations continue on the EU's new Multiannual Financial Framework, the bloc's long-term budget. They also discussed how to make that investment last and drive development and growth, and how to make small European tech firms more competitive.

"The competitiveness of every member state and of the EU itself requires investment in high technology and innovation, as well as guaranteeing our security," Radev said.

Interest in engineering degrees is growing again in Bulgaria after years of neglect, the prime minister noted. Interest in training artificial intelligence specialists is also rising.

Radev said Bulgaria is putting money into building and maintaining IT environments and AI factories to make up for lost ground in recent years. Money alone is not enough to succeed in high technology and space research, he said. Skilled people need training, and they need a competitive environment where they can develop.

The prime minister said young Bulgarian talents show their potential every year by winning prizes at the maths, physics and astronomy olympiads.