Minister of Defence, Dimitar Stoyanov, presented his priorities and his team at a press conference held at the Ministry of Defence.
The deputy ministers are Katarina Gramatikova–Ivanova and Lyubomir Monov. The head of the minister’s political cabinet will be Vladko Vladov. The minister’s adviser is Krasimir Grozev.
Desislava Terziyska has been appointed Director of the Directorate for Strategic Communications, Public Relations and Protocol.
The Minister stated that a plan has been prepared to increase defence spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2030, specifying that 3.5% of this would be direct military expenditure, while 1.5% would cover defence-related costs such as infrastructure, cybersecurity and other areas.
Last year, defence expenditure amounted to 2.13% of GDP, and this year it is expected to reach 2.15%, said Stoyanov.
Regarding legislative changes, the minister said that part of them will be directly related to working time regulations. Spending thresholds also need to be revised. The current thresholds, adopted in 2010, are no longer adequate. The Minister of Defence has the authority to spend up to BGN 50 million, up to BGN 100 million with approval from the Council of Ministers, and over BGN 100 million with a decision by Parliament.
He noted that these thresholds are intended to prevent corruption and stated that the level of corruption within the Ministry of Defence is currently the lowest.
He added that these limits should be raised to EUR 50 million for ministerial approval, EUR 100 million with authorisation from the Council of Ministers, and over EUR 100 million with a decision by Parliament.
The minister also stressed that defence expenditure does not count towards the country’s budget deficit.
“We have already clearly stated that the war in Ukraine will not be resolved on the battlefield. We are seeing a positional war, and no matter how much armament is accumulated, the only result is the loss of human lives. It is time to sit down at the negotiating table, it is time to seek a just peace to be determined by both sides. Of course, the role of the European Union is extremely important,” the minister said on the subject.
He stated that Bulgaria does not plan to provide more weapons to the Ukrainian armed forces.
“Nobody is sabotaging the process of training on F-16 aircraft or the preparation of Bulgarian personnel. The MiG-29 will remain on duty as long as we are able to maintain it and as long as there is a need for it. The F-16 will take over when the aircraft is ready and the Bulgarian pilots are ready,” the minister said.
He added that the F-16 currently have sufficient combat capability.
“We have accelerated negotiations with the European Commission, and I believe we will catch up and meet the 2030 deadline for absorbing all funds,” Stoyanov explained.
An extraordinary audit will be carried out across all commercial companies, the minister said. He added that amendments to the relevant regulation are necessary in order to prevent such cases from occurring in the future.
The overall objective of the government is to streamline the administration. Structures must be reorganised, and where there is duplication, staff reductions will be made, Stoyanov said.
He also added that advances amounting to €16.6 million had been disbursed under contracts involving allegedly falsified bank guarantees, which he attributed to the previous government. The documents have been handed over to the State Agency for National Security (SANS) and the Military Prosecutor’s Office.
Meetings are being held with the companies concerned in order for them to present valid bank guarantees, the minister also said.
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