The Defense Committee will discuss the defense spending set in the draft budget for this year at a meeting. The parameters provide for the percentage of GDP to be 2.15% and to reach 2.55% by 2028, BNR recalls.
The defense budget for the 26th year is nearly two billion and 570 million euros. Which is expected to reach an amount of 2.15% of GDP. A large part - about one billion and three hundred million euros - is designated for personnel. Capital expenditures are nearly 870 million euros.
In the "Defense" sector, the budget plans to increase spending by 80.9 million euros. For salaries, the Ministry's budget will be 60 million euros higher than for 2025. The rule from August 1st to pay part of their social security contributions will not apply to the military.
However, Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov recently recalled that salaries for the military will be frozen for 2026. This comes from the automaticity of their calculation.
The salary is calculated annually based on the average salary for the second quarter of the previous year according to data from the National Statistical Institute.
The dispute with the Finance Ministry here was due to its elimination, Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov indicated in a recent interview that he requested, in a statement to the Ministry of Finance, that the automaticity be frozen. As an argument not to drop out, Dimitar Stoyanov also pointed out that updating salaries is positive for reducing the shortage of personnel in the army from 22-24% in previous years to 20 percent.