The Minister of Economy inaugurated an information day for the 2025 European Defence Fund, which provides EUR 1 billion in grant funding
The dynamics of the international security environment and increased defence spending create new opportunities that our industry must fully leverage. The European Defence Fund (EDF) is one such opportunity. The Minister of Economy and Industry, Peter Dilov, said this during the opening of a National Information Day focused on the 2025 Work Program of the European Defence Fund. The Fund provides around EUR 1 billion per year in grant funding to support projects in research and development of products and technologies, thereby encouraging Member States to collaborate and invest more in defence. The event was organized by the Ministry of Economy and Industry, with the participation of representatives from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space, state institutions, businesses, non-governmental organizations, associations, and research and academic communities.
Minister Dilov noted that Bulgarian companies, including those in the small and medium enterprise sector, have shown substantial interest in the program. “From the launch of the Fund in 2021 until the end of 2023, 19 projects with Bulgarian participation received grant funding. This is evidence that Bulgarian companies are innovative, high-tech, competitive, and adaptable,” he emphasized.
He also said that 2024 again saw a record number of Bulgarian firms and organizations applying to the European Defence Fund. The results of the project evaluations are expected to be published in early May this year.
During the event, it was announced that in mid-February, the European Commission opened applications for the new 33 calls for project proposals under the EDF 2025 budget, with a total value of just over EUR 1 billion.
The Minister of Economy and Industry also commented on the Plan for Europe’s rearmament. According to him, this Plan, along with the European Defence Industry Strategy adopted in 2024 and the appointment of a European Commissioner for Defence, clearly outline the trends in the Defence sector. “They testify to the Union’s long-term commitments regarding security and building a competitive, sustainable, and innovative European defence and technological industrial base,” he added.
Dilov stressed that within European initiatives, the Bulgarian industry has the opportunity to occupy a strategic position as a reliable partner and supplier of munitions, components, and high-tech solutions for the defence sector. In his words, cooperation between our industry and partners in the Euro-Atlantic space is an important element of our country’s overall economic policy, supporting the technological development and modernization of the Bulgarian economy, the acquisition of key capabilities and know-how, and the upgrading of enterprises and sectors vital to the economy and national security, reorienting them toward high-tech markets.
In conclusion, the Minister of Economy said that the Ministry of Economy and Industry will continue to actively support any Bulgarian participation in European defence programs and initiatives—by providing information, contacts, and assistance in finding partners for Bulgarian companies in the sector.
As part of the Information Day, the 2025 Work Programme of the European Defence Fund was presented, along with the conditions and procedures for participating in the program, the priority thematic areas, and practical guidelines and advice for applicants. A special thematic session was dedicated to the procedures for issuing transfer permits in connection with EDF-funded projects, as well as current EU initiatives in support of the defence industry, focusing on the new Regulation establishing the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP).