European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Bulgaria, Bulgarian National Television reported yesterday. She was welcomed at the airport in Plovdiv by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov.
Ursula von der Leyen was on a one-day visit to Bulgaria as part of her tour of the seven countries in the immediate vicinity of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Zhelyazkov and the EC President went to VMZ-Sopot*, where the EC President got acquainted with the production capacity of the enterprise. The Prime Minister introduced Von der Leyen to the existing production. He emphasized the plant’s potential for modernization and development of new production.
At VMZ Sopot, the EC President also held a meeting with the Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov, the Minister of Economy and Industry Petar Dilov and the leader of GERB Boyko Borissov.
The European Commission will invest in expanding ammunition production at VMZ Sopot, as part of a pan-European effort to strengthen defense capacity. This became clear during the visit of EC President Ursula von der Leyen to Bulgaria, where, together with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazyk, she presented plans for a new gunpowder plant, modernization of production and building a capacity for artillery shells according to EU standards. Up to 1,000 new jobs are expected to be created in Sopot. “Bulgaria has a strong tradition in the defense industry and is the only country in the EU where the largest private employer in the sector produces a huge amount of ammunition. Since the beginning of the war, one third of the weapons used by Ukraine have come from Bulgaria,” von der Leyen said. She stressed that the war was entering its fourth year and, in her words, “Putin will not stop there.” “He has built a military economy that will continue to reproduce the conflict. In order to support Ukraine, we must also be ready for our own defense,” said the EC President.
Von der Leyen also presented the European SAFE instrument, through which 150 billion euros are earmarked for joint public procurement in the field of defense. “We managed to create it in record time and the entire amount has already been declared. I thank Bulgaria for participating in this mechanism. These funds must be invested in joint procurement and in expanding production,” she specified. According to her, the Sopot project is an example of the EC’s vision – a combination of new jobs, regional economic growth and strengthening collective security. Von der Leyen noted that the EU’s production capacity should reach 2 million artillery shells by the end of the year.
Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov emphasized that Bulgaria’s strategic location in Eastern Europe requires the country to provide reliable security guarantees. “We introduced Mrs. Von der Leyen to the capabilities of our defense industry. The White Paper and the SAFE mechanism provide clear prospects for development and technology transfer. It is important for us to provide security guarantees, which implies our strategic location,” the Prime Minister said.
We are considering the development of the Bulgarian defense industry and the upcoming joint venture with Rheinmetall in the context of strengthening the defense capability of the European Union, together with other countries that are part of the Coalition of the Willing, in partnership with NATO, he added.
Zhelyazkov also emphasized that as a Black Sea country, it is important for Bulgaria to provide all security guarantees, implying our strategic position in Southeast Europe. What our country will contribute to security guarantees in the maritime domain will be consistent with the European Union (EU) strategy for the Black Sea.
GERB leader Boyko Borisov also welcomed the decision and stressed that two plants will be built in a joint venture – for 150 mm shells and for the production of a new model of gunpowder. “For decades, VMZ – Sopot has been producing shells and weapons for the defense of Bulgaria. Now thousands of new jobs will be created. We are all for peace, but you need to have a powerful defense to be respected,” Borisov commented.
The plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was forced to make an emergency landing at Plovdiv airport after its GPS navigation was completely blocked as it approached the airport. According to sources cited by the Financial Times, “the entire navigation system in the area of the airport simply froze” – what was described as “solid interference” – points to a deliberate Russian electronic jamming operation. The pilot, forced to circle over Plovdiv for about an hour, landed using only paper maps. The incident is now under investigation, with a focus on the possibility of GPS interference by external forces. From there, Von der Leyen flew by helicopter to Sopot, where she and Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov inspected Vazovski Masinostroitelnyi Zavodi EAD. It became clear at the time that there was some delay in Von der Leyen’s flight, but it was justified by “bad weather conditions”.
*Note: VMZ-Sopot = “Vazovski Machine-Building Plants” EAD is a Bulgarian state-owned ammunition production enterprise headquartered in the town of Sopot. The company’s main products are guided and unguided anti-tank shells and other artillery ammunition, unguided aviation missiles and detonators. The sales volume in 2017 was 536 million leva, the profit was 150 million leva, and the number of employees was about 4,600 people. Established in 1936 as a division of the State Military Factory in Kazanlak (today Arsenal), after 1948 it was one of the main divisions of the military-industrial conglomerate Metalhim. In 1997 it was separated as an independent enterprise, and since 2016 it has been owned by the State Consolidation Company.
Photo: Government Information Service
We acknowledge The European Times for the information.
