Due to the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, the European Union has the ambition to mobilize 800 billion euros for defense. Bulgarian MEP Andrey Novakov told a FACTI reporter in Strasbourg that it is right that most of this money should come to Bulgaria and the other countries on the eastern flank because of our proximity to the front. Novakov said that the Bulgarian military industry can now save all of Europe because we have not closed it down, as Western countries did after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
"The eastern defense line of Europe passes through Bulgaria and I believe that the countries that suffered the most severe consequences of the war are the Baltic states, Romania, Poland and Bulgaria. [Therefore] more money should be invested in these countries than in others. History shows it, practice also - in Poland over 5 percent is spent on defense, and in Spain 1.3 percent on defense (of GDP). The consequences of the war are different for these countries. Most of the European funding should come to us", said Novakov, who is also a member of the Security and Defense Committee in the European Parliament.
"In recent months, every policy [in Europe] has become a defense policy, regardless of whether we are talking about the economy, reindustrialization, environment, regional development or transport. There is a proposal from the European Commission to invest money from cohesion in defense. The proposal includes up to 15% of the money for cohesion funds to go voluntarily (if the state decides) for defense. We live in such times. The eastern defense line passes through Bulgaria and we must make the most of this. The plan to rearm Europe is for 800 billion euros", said Andrey Novakov.
He stated that Bulgaria has one of the best-developed military industries in Europe. "I see an opportunity for a significant percentage of this money to remain in Bulgaria. In terms of sales of defense products per capita, Bulgaria is far ahead of all other countries. For 2023, we exported over 4 billion and 200 million leva in defense products alone. There is no other country that can react as quickly as Bulgaria", said Novakov, pointing out that it also concerns ammunition (NATO and Soviet calibers), military armored vehicles and drones.
In addition to the defense of Europe, this time our country can take advantage and make sure that a significant part of these expenses remain in our country and help the economy, said the MEP. According to him, 70,000 people work in this sector. It will continue to develop, given the failures in the peace talks in Ukraine and the Middle East, the Bulgarian representative in the EP also pointed out.
Regarding drones, Andrey Novakov said that Bulgaria has a company that is already producing its fourth drone, which currently has a commercial purpose, but can very easily be re-equipped for reconnaissance missions. We also have companies that produce armored vehicles. "I am impressed by these machines", added Novakov.
Regarding the ammunition used in Ukraine, Novakov said that a significant part of them was produced in Bulgaria. "For some reason, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, politicians in Western Europe decided that history is over and there is no one to protect ourselves from anymore. Fortunately, not in Bulgaria, because we have preserved our industry and this can now save the whole of Europe", said Novakov.
"The money that we can use from cohesion policy is not for cartridges and rifles, but for infrastructure. There are several countries in Europe that have a problem with military mobility. The bridges over the highways are so low that heavy military equipment cannot pass. We need investments to make the bridges strong enough and the tunnels wide enough to accommodate such equipment, which must be quickly deployed somewhere", said Novakov, according to whom "in a short time" Bulgaria can adapt its infrastructure to NATO standards (and specifically to European plans for military mobility). He believes that environmental legislation should not be applied to Bulgaria's defense.
Andrey Novakov also said that coal is "the one that can save us". "The Maritsa basin, at full power, without a single battery connected to the network, can independently power every Bulgarian home and industry. This is a resource that we must preserve, and give what is deserved to those worthy people who earn their living with this work," said Andrey Novakov.