After the Visit of Zhelyazkov and Costa to the "Arsenal" Military Plant: Priorities, Goals, and Ambitions (OVERVIEW)

No data suggests that a cyberattack caused the energy outage in Portugal, Spain, and France, commented the President of the European Council, António Costa. On the second day of his visit to Bulgaria, April 28, together with Prime Minister Rossen Zhelyazkov, they visited the "Arsenal" military factory and the "Thracian University." Defence spending exceeds 2%, and the government's intention is to increase it, but funds for defence will be excluded from the deficit, said the Prime Minister.

photo by BTA

In Stara Zagora, António Costa, the President of the European Council, said that he had discussed the massive energy outage with the Prime Ministers of Portugal and Spain, as well as with some of the management teams of the electricity distribution companies in Southwestern Europe.

António Costa, President of the European Council: "We still do not know the cause of the power outage. There is no evidence that the failure was caused by a cyberattack."

In Bulgaria, António Costa and Rossen Zhelyazkov discussed technological capabilities, key production capacities, and the modernization processes of the defense industry after their visit to the "Arsenal" military factory in Kazanlak. The Prime Minister announced that Bulgaria will adopt a national derogation clause for defence spending, which will allow the country to more easily meet the criteria for the Eurozone.

photo by BTA

Rosen Zhelyazkov, Prime Minister: 'Taking the opportunity to trigger the cause of exclusion from deficit of the rearmament projects that are implemented under the EU's joint acquisition initiatives'.

Rossen Zhelyazkov, Prime Minister:
" By taking advantage of the opportunity to activate the clause for excluding the rearmament projects that are implemented under the European Union's initiatives for joint acquisition from the State Budget deficit.”

António Costa, President of the European Council: "The Arsenal military plant is a very good example of how the goals of defence and competitiveness can be unified and how this contributes to supporting Ukraine.

The Prime Minister announced that a specialised centre for defence innovation will be set up in Sofia Tech Park.

Rossen Zhelyazkov, Prime Minister:
"Our ambition is to announce a competition by the end of this year for testing three types of drones for the needs of the Bulgarian army. The Bulgarian army will select the most competitive product and will make an order for production and procurement."

António Costa, President of the European Council:
"Investments in defense not only guarantee our security but also create jobs, ensure regional development, and stimulates our progress."

Costa and Zhelyazkov also visited the Aquaponics Center at Thracian University in Stara Zagora, where they saw how fish and plants are cultivated within a single water ecosystem, utilizing shared infrastructure.