The Bulgarian government and the German defence group Rheinmetall have signed an agreement in Sofia to build a gunpowder and 155 mm artillery shell factory at the state-owned Vazov Machine Building Works (VMZ) in Sopot.
The deal was signed by Rheinmetall Chief Executive Officer Armin Papperger and VMZ Executive Director Ivan Getsov. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, Economy Minister Petar Dilov, and Germany’s ambassador to Bulgaria, Irene Maria Plank.
“There is much work ahead to unlock the full potential of the Bulgarian plant. We have established a stable and predictable partnership with our partners,” said Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov.
Papperger said he expected other European companies to invest in Bulgaria’s defence industry.
The nearly 500 million euro investment will create around 1,000 jobs and is seen as key to modernising Bulgaria’s defence sector. It is part of broader EU and NATO efforts to strengthen Europe’s defence capabilities.
The European Commission expects Bulgaria to provide a position and assessment of the possible consequences for the Lukoil refinery in Burgas as soon as possible after the imposition of US sanctions against the Russian company. This..
Today at 11:00, in the Coat of Arms Hall of the Presidency, Vice President Iliana Iotova will officially present the collection "Alphabet. Language. Identity". The publication contains the reports from the second International Forum on the Cyrillic..
Wednesday's minimum temperatures will be 1–6°C , with Sofia at 1°C. Some lowland areas may have reduced visibility in the morning. It will be mostly sunny during the day, with a light to moderate south-westerly wind. Maximum temperatures will reach..
An earthquake with a 6.1 magnitude on the Richter scale hit Western Turkey at 22.48 hours last night. There were over 40 aftershocks after the..
Frol and Frosia are the newest residents of the Bear Sanctuary Belitsa, according to the Four Paws Foundation, which runs the bear sanctuary in..
Bulgaria’s draft social security budget indicates that the minimum wage from 1 January 2026 will be lower than the level set out in the Labour Code ,..
Partly Cloudy