Sofia hosts a two-day informal meeting of the defense ministers of the EU member states. The forum is part of the official calendar of the Bulgarian presidency of the EU Council and its host is Defense Minister Krasimir Karakachanov.
Ministers will discuss issues related to key European Defense Agency activities, permanent structured cooperation, the Military Mobility Action Plan, and the prospects for crisis management operations. A discussion of the European Defense Agency will take place during the meeting. In addition to EU defense ministers, representatives of the United Nations, NATO, the European Commission, the EU Military Committee, the EU Military Secretariat and other Union institutions will participate in the meeting.
The Sofia Security Forum organized the international conference "Towards building a new European defense identity". Among the lecturers are Deputy Secretary General of NATO Rose Gottemoeller, who is on her first visit to Bulgaria after her appointment to this post, Ursula von der Leyen - German Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Esa Pulkkinen - Director General of the European Military Staff, Radmila Šekerinska - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Macedonia, Ambassador Philip Reeker, Deputy Commander of the European Command of the United States. On the Bulgarian side will participate Deputy Minister Atanas Zapryanov.