Defence Budget to Reach 2% of GDP by 2024

The defence budget is set to reach 2% of GDP by 2024.

This is envisaged in the National Security Strategy, adopted by Parliament on 14^th of March.

The new policies included in the document are cyber security, crisis management, and national archives. The main debate in the discussion was whether the Black Sea region would be demilitarized. This proposal by the opposition socialist party, BSP, was rejected.

Interior Minister Valentin Radev commented that the Strategy was submitted after the Consultative Council on National Security to the President and was agreed. BSP abstained from voting, all other parliamentary groups have supported the updated strategy, with a time horizon by 2025.