President Iotova: Europe Has Realised It Should Take Its Destiny into Its Own Hands,

Europe has remained “on holiday” for too long, as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz put it, and it is time to wake up to its own independence in defence, industrial development, the economy and production. Europe has realised it must take its fate into its own hands, Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova told Bulgarian journalists after attending the opening of the Munich Security Conference on February 13.

“There is something broken in the international rule-based order. That is the main message of the Munich conference. Global and European leaders recognise that the world has changed profoundly and that we must quickly orient ourselves within the new trends,” she said.

Iotova noted that talk of an independent European defence system has existed for years, but it has now become a recognised necessity.

“This is not about creating a structure that would oppose NATO, but about strengthening the European pillar within the Alliance,” she said.

Iliana Iotova stressed that for many years the European Union has been working with inadequate documents and a large bureaucracy that has hindered its development. She pointed to the competitiveness report by Mario Draghi, which she said had offered an accurate diagnosis of the EU’s condition, yet few of its recommendations had been implemented.

Iotova highlighted an emerging divergence between France and Germany over industrial production.

“While France supports manufacturing being located entirely within Europe, Germany backs the idea that part of European production should remain in third countries. We need to work out the Bulgarian position on this important issue," Iotova pointed out.

She stressed that Bulgaria’s voice in Europe should be sufficiently strong.

“We should defend our national interest and, together with our European partners, seek the most appropriate solutions,” she added.

Asked whether Bulgaria remains a reliable partner in light of domestic political instability, Iotova said not only European partners but also Balkan neighbours are closely monitoring the political situation in the country.

“They hope for a stable majority after the elections in April,” she said.