Iliana Iotova participates in the Munich Security Conference

For too long, Europe has been on holidays, as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, and it is time to wake up to its own independence in terms of defence, industrial development, economy, production. Europe has realised that it must take its destiny into its own hands. This was stated by President Iliana Iotova to Bulgarian journalists after participating in the opening of the 62nd Munich Security Conference.

There is something broken in the international legal order. This is the main message of the Munich Conference. World and European leaders realise that the world has changed a lot and we must quickly navigate the new trends, the president emphasised.

Speaking to Bulgarian journalists, Iotova pointed out that there had been talk for a long time about an independent European defence system, but it is now a recognised necessity. This is not about a structure that would oppose NATO, but about the European pillar in the Alliance made stronger, the head of state said.

Iotova stressed that for many years the European Union has been working with inadequate documents and a large bureaucracy that has blocked its development. She pointed to Mario Draghi's competitiveness report, which provided an accurate diagnosis of the state of the EU, but almost none of the proposals in it have been implemented.

The president highlighted the emerging contradiction between the two major countries, France and Germany, regarding production. While France is in favour of production entirely in Europe, Germany supports part of European production remaining in third countries. We need to work out the Bulgarian position on this important issue," Iotova opined.

The head of state pointed out that the Bulgarian voice in Europe must be strong enough. We must protect the national interest and, together with our European partners, seek the most adequate solutions, she added.

When asked whether Bulgaria remains a reliable partner given the political instability, Iliana Iotova said that not only our European partners, but also our Balkan neighbours are closely monitoring the political situation in our country. They hope for a stable majority after the elections in April, the president said.