Vigenin: With the investment in defence we are not preparing for war, we are making war impossible

“We clearly have to invest more in our defence, in the context of the common global threats. Expanding our industrial capacity is a chance to create more jobs. I personally hope that the announced investment intentions, together with Rheinmetall, will also lead to additional interest from other large investors in Bulgaria in this area.” This was stated on Euronews Bulgaria television by Bulgarian MEP from the Group of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament and member of the Committee on Defence Kristian Vigenin. He pointed out that he would also like to see investment in higher-technology production.

Kristian Vigenin gave an assurance that defence spending will not be funded through higher taxes: “This has to be said. At this stage taxes in Bulgaria will not be changed. You know the BSP position on income tax, that we are rather in favour of progressive taxation, but this is a topic on which the discussion is only starting.”

Europe must guarantee its own security

The MEP believes Europe has to start thinking for itself and providing the guarantees for its own security. “We have to make sure that in the European Union, in Europe, we can produce everything we need. And when the hundreds of billions from the European Union and from European countries stop going to American industry, then perhaps the American administration will realise that things are not quite as clear-cut and simple as they look to them,” he commented. He noted, however, that this partnership should still remain, because there are shared values and that matters in the modern world. “The European Union does need to understand its own interest better, though, and in future we should try to think more about how to defend our European interest, because it does not always coincide with the American one, often it does not,” Vigenin emphasised.

He recommended that when defence and weapons are discussed, the broader view of security be discussed as well. “It is no accident, it was a positive NATO decision, that 1.5% of GDP, within the 5% of GDP for defence, should go to developing infrastructure rather than specifically to buying and maintaining weapons. For us, the socialists in the European Parliament, the development of infrastructure, both road and digital, is important, it has a bearing on security and defence. The same applies to funds for healthcare, for building infrastructure in the healthcare field,” the MEP summed up. In conclusion Vigenin called: “Let us not create needless fears, what we are doing is not in order to be ready for war, but in order to make war impossible.”