Industrial Forum

The industrial forum entitled "Bulgaria's priorities for the development of defense capabilities and innovations in defense - implementation of enhanced military-technical cooperation within the EU and NATO" was held on June 1, as part of "Hemus 2022".

The goals of the Forum were:

- To review the national priorities for the development of defense capabilities and for the construction of defense-industrial and technological capacities and innovations in defense; Bulgaria's ambition to participate in new NATO-EU cooperation initiatives in the field of defense; initial lessons learned from the participation of Bulgarian enterprises and scientific organizations based on the experience of the Work Program of the European Defense Fund 2021;

- To discuss the policies and instruments of the state to support and promote industry and research organizations in joint research and innovation programs and projects supported by the European Defense Fund (EDF), the European Defense Agency and NATO;

- To encourage the establishment of contacts and cooperation between Bulgarian and European companies for partnership and participation in the EDF.

The participants were welcomed by Deputy Minister of Defense Stanimir Georgiev and Deputy Chief of Defense Lieutenant General Tsanko Stoykov. The Forum was attended by Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Dimitar Margaritov, Deputy Minister of Innovation and Growth Karina Angelieva, Secretary of the Interministerial Council for Defense Industry and Security of Supply Dimitar Buchkov, Dilyana Karageorgieva, state expert in Internationally Controlled Trade and Security Directorate, the Ministry of Economy and Industry, Marek Kalbarczyk, Deputy Director of the Research, Technology and Innovation Directorate and Head of the EU-Funded Defense Research Department, European Defense Agency, as well as representatives of the Bulgarian and foreign defense industry, research institutes and organizations.