Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Civilians in Bulgaria can undergo military training

Photo: BGNES

The Strategic Defence Review will recommend a study on the possibility for civilians to receive military training, interim Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said. 

The latest defence report recommends urgent legislative measures to create conditions for peacetime training of the military reserve. In the period 2010-2020, it decreased by 43% and the trend continues by 5-7% every year. If this rate continues, in 15 years' time Bulgaria's military reserve will be completely exhausted. 
Another problem highlighted in the report is progressive ageing. In 2020, reservists under the age of 35 accounted for only 5% of the total number of reservists, those under 45 years of age accounted for 46% and those over 45 - 49%. 

"We are not in a hurry to propose compulsory training of citizens to defend the Fatherland, as we need an analysis. This will come into the strategic review as a guideline to be further explored," the military minister summed up. 



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Ivelin Mihaylov of Velichie party

CEC Public Council: For the first time a party is left outside parliament for lack of 21 votes

For the first time in recent election history, the end election result leaves a party running in the election outside the National Assembly with a result of 3.999% (Velichie), 21 votes short of the electoral threshold, reads a position by the..

published on 11/5/24 5:19 PM
Kamelia Neykova

CEC sends CCTV footage from polling stations to prosecutors 

The Central Election Commission (CEC) is sending the prosecutor the video recordings of the ballot count in 7 polling stations where there is a discrepancy in the number of votes counted.  The prosecutors will have to check whether there is..

published on 11/5/24 4:19 PM
Екатерина Захариева

Bulgarian Ekaterina Zaharieva is the EU commissioner for start-ups, research and innovation

The European Parliament has approved the nomination of Bulgarian Ekaterina Zaharieva as European Commissioner. She will be in charge of the 'Start-ups, Research and Innovation' portfolio.  After her confirmation hearing in the European Parliament,..

published on 11/5/24 4:03 PM