The General Directorate Border Police (GDBP) has taken delivery of 213 new vehicles and 88 cameras as part of EU-funded projects worth a total of 10.5 million euros, according to officials.
The shipment includes 125 standard passenger cars, 70 off-road vehicles, seven additional passenger vehicles, seven minibuses, and four buses, alongside the surveillance equipment. Authorities say the investment is aimed at strengthening operational capacity along Bulgaria’s external EU borders.
Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev, speaking at the handover ceremony, said border security has improved significantly in recent years. “We are carrying out our responsibilities for protecting this country’s borders and the external borders of the European Union with exceptional success,” he stated.
He also recalled the situation when he assumed office in 2022, stressing the urgency of upgrading border infrastructure, especially along the Bulgarian-Turkish frontier. “Unless we significantly improved the technical equipment at Bulgaria’s border, particularly along the Bulgarian-Turkish border, we would not be able to guarantee the security of Bulgaria or the European countries,” Demerdzhiev said, adding that cooperation with EU partners had been crucial in securing support.
Border Police Director Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov noted that the latest delivery brings the total number of vehicles acquired over the past three years to more than 700, bringing the service closer to operational requirements. “With today’s delivery, the number of vehicles acquired over the past three years has exceeded 700, and only now are we reaching the level required to meet our staffing needs,” he said.
Zlatanov emphasized the need to maintain modernization efforts and avoid backsliding in equipment standards. “We must not discontinue this process so that the same gap that existed in the past does not reappear,” he said, urging continued engagement with European partners.
He added that both equipment levels and operational performance must continue to improve, stating that the current progress in strengthening the agency’s capacity should not be allowed to stagnate or decline.