The rapporteur on the new Eastern Borders Fund Jacek Protas from Poland has confirmed his participation in a mission to Bulgaria. This was announced by MEP Andrey Novakov in an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio.
Protas will first visit Sofia and then Varna. The delegation will include MEPs who will familiarize themselves with the protocol for actions of Bulgarian institutions in the event of a threat. According to Novakov, the mission will follow the debate on the Black Sea in the European Parliament and the upcoming vote on a resolution.
Request for a European mission in the Black Sea
The European People's Party insists that the European Union send a naval mission to the Black Sea to protect merchant ships. Novakov stressed that the proposal is for defensive measures, not for escalation or retaliatory aggression.
“Only for defensive, protective mechanisms“, said the MEP, pointing out that the increased risk is already affecting shipping. According to him, insurance companies are refusing to cover the sailing of ships in the Black Sea, which could lead to a halt in supplies, shortages of goods and an increase in prices.
Novakov compared the idea to the European Union's operation Aspides in the Red Sea, in which ships from several European countries participate and which, according to him, protects commercial vessels.
Financing for equipment along the Bulgarian coast
The main purpose of Jacek Protas' visit is to discuss the possibility of Bulgaria using European funding for equipment along the Black Sea coast. Novakov said that the systems should intercept and neutralize threats before they enter the country's territorial waters.
The MEP pointed out that Bulgarian industry has the capabilities to produce such technologies. He gave as an example companies in Bozhurishte and Samokov that are developing systems for jamming drones and changing their direction and trajectory.
“I hope we can convince him, to win a friend of Bulgaria“, said Novakov about the upcoming meeting with the Polish rapporteur. He said that the country needs European and NATO support, as it cannot provide full protection on its own.
Novakov expects the European Parliament resolution to be adopted by over 500 votes. According to him, at least three or four Bulgarian MEPs may vote against, which he described as their sovereign right.
Sources: bnrnews.bg, europarl.europa.eu