Bulgaria Plans to Raise Defense Spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2032

Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov announced that Bulgaria intends to raise its defense spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2032. He made the statement during a forum in Sofia focused on strengthening defense ties with Germany and exploring current trends in the sector.

Zapryanov said the 2% of GDP already allocated for defense in 2024 - a long-standing NATO benchmark - is no longer sufficient. He explained that to ensure successful modernization of the Bulgarian armed forces, the government has committed to gradually increase spending to between 2.5% and 3%, eventually reaching 3.5% as a baseline level by the end of the decade.

Speaking on broader security concerns, Zapryanov described Russia as the most direct and serious threat to Euro-Atlantic security. He stressed the importance of long-term preparedness, particularly regarding regional challenges in the Black Sea and Southeastern Europe. He added that Bulgaria is working to strengthen its national defense within NATO’s collective strategy and the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy.

The Minister also emphasized the role of Bulgaria’s own defense industry in this process. According to him, the Ministry of Defense is ready to partner with domestic firms to improve and expand defense capabilities, and will support initiatives that align with strategic needs.

Zapryanov’s comments come in the context of broader discussions across the Alliance. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently called for increased defense investments in light of the geopolitical standoff with Russia. U.S. President Donald Trump has gone even further, urging NATO members to raise their defense budgets to 5% of GDP. Rutte has floated a compromise, suggesting defense spending be set at 3.5%, with 1.5% specifically earmarked for infrastructure.

Bulgaria, Zapryanov noted, plans to make use of new EU mechanisms to allow for more flexibility in defense-related expenditures while still maintaining a fiscally conservative policy in anticipation of eurozone accession. He spoke after attending a Bucharest-9 (B-9) meeting of regional leaders in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Meanwhile, the European Commission has already moved toward loosening spending constraints for defense. In early March, EC President Ursula von der Leyen presented a rearmament plan that would exempt defense investments from standard budgetary restrictions. The proposal includes redirecting cohesion funds toward military purposes and unlocking €150 billion in loans for the purchase of defense systems, including ammunition, missiles, drones, and air defense platforms.