Balgarianovinite.com Parliament on Thursday passed on first and second reading in a single sitting a bill ratifying the SAFE Loan Agreement between the European Union (EU) and Bulgaria, as well as the SAFE Operational Arrangements between the European Commission and Bulgaria.
Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said it was of the utmost importance for Parliament to approve the loan agreement so that the modernization of the Bulgarian Armed Forces could continue.
On first reading, the ratification bill was approved by 132-6 votes. It was backed by Progressive Bulgaria, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), Democratic Bulgaria and Continue the Change, while Vazrazhdane voted against. GERB-UDF did not take part in the vote.
Ratification of the agreements will secure funding for nine key projects included in Bulgaria’s National SAFE Plan for the development of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. It will also enable the implementation of the decision to provide Bulgaria with financial assistance in the form of a loan of up to EUR 3,261,700,000, together with pre-financing from the European Commission amounting to 15% of the loan, or EUR 489,255,000, within three months of the loan agreement entering into force.
The projects to be financed under SAFE are directly linked to the implementation of the Capability Targets 2025 package agreed for Bulgaria under its NATO membership, with some also included in the Defence Investment Programme until 2032. They cover the acquisition of new 3D radars, ground-based air and missile defence systems, 155 mm howitzers, high-mobility multiple launch rocket systems, counter-unmanned aerial systems and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as 155 mm ammunition, RBS 15 Mk anti-ship missiles, VL MICA surface-to-air missiles, and the development of transport support capabilities for the Bulgarian Armed Forces.
According to the report by Parliament’s Defence Committee, the SAFE loan will be granted on favourable terms, including a grace period of up to 10 years and a repayment period of up to 45 years. Deliveries under SAFE-funded projects will be exempt from VAT. The funding required to implement the projects will be provided through the Defence Ministry’s budget within the annual defence expenditure.
Dimo Drenchev MP of Vazrazhdane argued that the loan agreement had been considered only by Parliament’s Defence Committee and not by the Budget and Finance Committee. He also said that MPs had not been informed of the loan’s interest rate, and asked what would happen to the propellant plant envisaged under the loan agreement.
Hristo Gadzhev MP of GERB-UDF likewise said the agreement should have been examined by the Budget and Finance Committee. He said his parliamentary group would support the financial agreement because part of it had been negotiated under the previous regular government. Gadzhev argued that it remained unclear which projects and capabilities would be financed with the approximately EUR 3.4 billion. He added that the advance payment of about EUR 480 million would be used to finance contracts already signed and warned that by September the list of projects or their parameters could change. If the planned propellant plant is not built, Bulgarian businesses will lose out because propellant is in short supply, he said, suggesting that the government lacked the will to implement the project.
Responding to the criticism, Defence Minister Stoyanov said it was incorrect to claim that the projects were unknown, noting that the previous government had approved the National SAFE Plan last November. “The government’s idea was for the EUR 460 million allocated for this project to be used to build two factories that would produce the ammunition, which would then be purchased by the Bulgarian Armed Forces. The European Commission told you that this was not possible,” he said.
Stoyanov added that SAFE is an open mechanism under which projects may be adjusted in terms of value, scale and quantity. While new projects cannot be added, funds may be reallocated between existing ones to ensure that Bulgaria does not lose access to financing under the loan agreement. Parliament Ratifies SAFE Loan Agreement, Operational Arrangements with European Commission 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-07-30 19:08:16 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
