In brief
Over Thursday and Friday in Sofia, EU budget commissioner Piotr Serafin held talks with Bulgarian officials and local organisations, urging increased defence funding for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework. The visit included a conference on budget priorities, a discussion over revenue strategy, and tours of EU‑funded science and satellite facilities.
European Commissioner for Budget Piotr Serafin will spend Thursday and Friday in Sofia to discuss the EU’s next seven‑year budget and meet Bulgarian government leaders, as reported by BTA.
Serafin will meet Prime Minister Rumen Radev, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev and Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov, who handles EU funds for the country, and will open a conference titled “The Next Multiannual Financial Framework: Priorities and Principles.”
The conference is being organised jointly by the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria, the Embassy of Poland and the Sofia office of the European Council on Foreign Relations, BTA notes.
Finance Minister Galab Donev said,
The growing number and scale of the challenges we face require an adequate and timely response, but this must not come at the expense of policies enshrined in the EU treaties. We are seeking agreement on appropriate sources of revenue for the EU budget while avoiding additional burdens on national budgets.
Commissioner Serafin stressed that defence spending must be stepped up. He said,
Increasing defence investment is an essential measure that must be reflected in the EU’s next seven‑year budget if the European Union is to maintain peace and security along its borders.
Serafin also talked about simplifying EU funding procedures, reducing regulatory overlap and improving transparency, according to the BTA report.
On Friday, Serafin will meet representatives of the National Association of Municipalities to discuss regional partnership plans for the Multiannual Financial Framework, and then attend a visit to the National STEM Centre in Sofia Tech Park, a hub for science, technology, engineering and mathematics that receives EU co‑funding.
Following the STEM centre, the commissioner will tour the laboratory and mission control room of EnduroSat, a satellite manufacturer that benefits from EU funds through the Innovation Council.
The two‑day trip is part of Serafin’s wider European tour to gather input for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework and to push for agreement before year‑end, BTA reports.
