Kristian Vigenin: There can be no security without wellbeing

„Security is a broad concept. The idea of taking out loans in order to produce weapons sounds bad. People ask themselves why roads are not being built, why there is no investment in education. We must give a clear answer. There must be a clear goal and direction, what we are aiming at with the rearmament of Europe, in the context of common security.“ This was stated by the head of the delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists in the European Parliament Kristian Vigenin at the discussion „Europe on the global stage: geopolitics and security“, organised by the European Parliament Office in Sofia.

„We, the Socialists, do not accept using cohesion policy funds for armament. There can be no security without wellbeing. Let us imagine that we build strong armies, but if we neglect education and other social areas, we do not achieve security. And let us ask ourselves what will happen if these strong armies fall into the hands of right-wing extremists“, the MEP pointed out with concern.

Rearmament and European industry

Kristian Vigenin expressed fears about the prospect of pouring hundreds of billions of euro into rearmament only for it to turn out that Europe cannot solve its security questions with it: „We need to seek balance. Swinging from one extreme to the other is not good. The haste worries me, because that makes many mistakes possible, and mistakes made in the field of defence can cause great damage. We began talking very hastily about hundreds of billions for defence. This sounds unconvincing to citizens without the goals and the steps for building a new type of defence resource being clearly outlined. What the threat is, how it is overcome and what the coordination between the member states will be. Because there is no effect if one of the countries has acquired strong armed forces and there is no unity in the defence strategy.“

The MEP emphasised that when European rearmament is considered, production should be directed to European industry and thought should be given to independence and jobs in Europe. „We need to see where the place of Bulgarian industry is in this process. Let us think about independence in supply. We do not have high-technology production for these sectors. Smart investment in development work will help us a great deal. This set of questions must be addressed at both national and European level“, Kristian Vigenin proposed.

The head of the Delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists in the European Parliament also highlighted another main question: can Europe guarantee its security on its own, without NATO? He again called for an analysis of what resources the EU has within NATO. „Let us invest in a conversation about the new security architecture, because the idea of rearmament does not bring security“, Vigenin proposed. He believes that national and European institutions must speak with one voice in order to find a rational and workable solution for effective security in Europe and Bulgaria.