Bulgaria aims to boost defence production capacity
Bulgaria has traditions, expertise and proven potential in the defence industry, which is a strong strategic asset for the country, Deputy Defence Minister Katerina Gramatikova said on Thursday, as quoted by the Ministry.
She was speaking at the opening of an industrial forum held as part of the Hemus 2026 international defence exhibition, CE Report quotes BTA.
The 2026 edition of the forum is themed "Defence Capabilities, Industrial Capacity, and the Role of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Industry within the European and Allied Defence Ecosystem".
“Today, we have the opportunity not only to preserve these positions, but to develop them through joint projects, technology transfer, investment in production capacity and cooperation between industry, science and education,” Gramatikova said.
The Bulgarian defence industry is a key partner of the Defence Ministry in strengthening national defence capacity, Gramatikova said. She highlighted SAFE, the mechanism for boosting Europe’s defence potential, as one of the Ministry’s policy priorities.
“In implementing projects under the SAFE instrument, the focus will be on genuine industrial cooperation and establishing more partnerships between Bulgarian industry and European partners. The aim is to increase the security of supply, production and maintenance of newly acquired platforms,” she said.
Attending the forum were also Deputy Economy, Investment and Industry Minister Mihaela Karadimova, Deputy Innovation and Digital Transformation Minister Mira Yosifova, and Holger Ziegler, Head of Standardization and Enablement at NATO Innovation and Armaments Division.
Photo: LinkedIn
