18.06.2026
he new European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) pulls an awful lot of resource and it should not be allowed to restrict as beneficiaries less developed countries like Bulgaria. We will want to bring Bulgarian companies into the European Union’s value chains so that our companies may benefit and thus achieve equality. This was stated by Prime Minister Rumen Radev in Brussels before the opening of the European Council Meeting.
The Prime Minister was firm that resolute action is needed to strengthen European competitiveness against the backdrop of macroeconomic imbalances, geoeconomic controversies and disruption of supply chains. Rumen Radev expressed his expectation of European level decision-taking and policymaking that would lead to decreased electricity prices, the implementation of new technologies, and the renovation of industrial production and investment in strategic technologies.
“I am trying to introduce a new term in the European Council – industrial cohesion, not just agricultural production, not just general cohesion, common funds, infrastructure, social development but also industrial cohesion,” the Prime Minister said and emphasized the importance of the matter for Bulgaria. Within the framework of today’s meeting of the Friends of Cohesion group, Prime Minister Rumen Radev advanced the view that the cohesion funds and the agricultural policy funds should not be trimmed at the expense of the new fund. “There is a tendency for the increase of the budget to cut the overall available resources for cohesion and agricultural policy. We will strive to prevent such a development,” Rumen Radev said.
Regarding the EU new package of sanctions against Russia, Prime Minister Rumen Radev reiterated Bulgaria’s position that they should not harm the national economy and put it at risk. The Prime Minister’s examples were the risk to the oil refinery in Bourgas, the supply of spare parts to the Metro in the capital city and the delivery of fertilizers not only to Bulgaria but also to the European Union. “All these matters are yet to be considered at the European Council meetings,” Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. The Prime Minister answered a media question about Lukoil and said that the risks are yet to be assessed. “There will be very serious talks and if we see an essential risk to the company’s operation, we will require that it be excluded from the sanctions package,” Rumen Radev said further.
Also, Bulgaria will demand that Russian Patriarch Kirill be removed from the sanctions package. Rumen Radev stressed that it does not concern the Russian Patriarch as a person; it concerns the Russian Orthodox Church for Russian Orthodoxy contributed to our Liberation from the five-century long Ottoman rule. As he said, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church should have an opinion when it comes to such a type of sanctions since the Orthodox Churches constitute one family and then he asked as to how exactly this type of sanctions help end the war.
Further, Prime Minister Rumen Radev noted that Bulgaria would not obstruct common European decisions concerning Ukraine, including the opening of negotiations for EU membership. “Whoever wants to deliver military aid and military equipment to Ukraine is free to do so. We take a decision on our deliveries on the basis of what we have in stock and whether we can do it,” Rumen Radev said. Later today Prime Minister Rumen Radev will talk with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
