The President of the European Commission will arrive in Bulgaria during a tour of the eastern border countries of the EU
BRUSSELS/SOFIA – From Friday, the President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen will tour the countries on the eastern border of the European Union Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Romania, the Press and Media Department of the EC Representation in Bulgaria announced.
On Sunday, August 31, she will arrive in Bulgaria, where she will meet with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. The two will visit the leading state-owned enterprise in the military industry and the largest ammunition production facility in the country.
The visit of President von der Leyen will highlight the EU’s support for member states facing the challenges of shared borders with Russia and Belarus. She will discuss Europe’s security and defense with government leaders and military representatives.
The program of the visit begins in Riga, where President von der Leyen will meet with the Prime Minister of Latvia Evika Silina. They will visit a facility for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles, which has received support from the EU through the NextGenerationEU mechanism.
Later in the day, the President will be in Helsinki. She will meet with the Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo. They will be informed about Europe’s responses to Russia’s shadow fleet and threats of military actions on the seabed aimed at critical underwater infrastructure such as communication and electrical cables and energy pipelines. The President will participate in a working dinner organized by the President of Finland Alexander Stubb.
On Saturday, August 30, von der Leyen will be in Estonia, where she will meet with Prime Minister Kristen Michal and have meetings with the Estonian defense forces and NATO.
On Sunday, August 31, Ursula von der Leyen will meet in Poland with Prime Minister Donald Tusk. They will travel to the border with Belarus to familiarize themselves with the monitoring and safeguarding operations of the eastern borders.
On Monday, September 1, Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Vilnius. She will meet with the President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda. They will also visit the border with Belarus to track preparations against hybrid and conventional threats.
In the afternoon, the President will travel to Romania, where she will meet with President Nicușor Dan and Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. They will travel to the border with Ukraine.
President von der Leyen will discuss cooperation between the EU and NATO, as well as the prevention, detection, defense, and deterrence of maritime and hybrid threats, the EC Representation in Bulgaria added. (August 28)
