Bulgaria and Slovakia are preparing to deepen their cooperation in nuclear energy, with the two countries planning to establish a joint commission to exchange scientific expertise, experience and legal knowledge related to major nuclear projects.
The initiative was announced by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev during a joint appearance with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Sofia. Radev said the energy ministers of the two countries would meet in the near future to set up the commission and coordinate their work.
“We have a number of joint projects. We agreed with Prime Minister Fico that our energy ministers will meet in the near future to establish a joint commission to work on sharing experience and scientific expertise on the important project for both countries in nuclear energy,” Radev said.
Both Bulgaria and Slovakia are negotiating with Westinghouse over the installation of two reactors, which Radev described as among the most modern available. He stressed that the projects are complex and that closer cooperation could make the process of developing and installing the reactors more efficient.
“These are complex projects that require the unification of our efforts,” Radev said, adding that the two countries had also discussed the possibility of jointly approaching manufacturers and suppliers of complex nuclear systems.
Radev and Fico presented nuclear power as a key element of their energy and industrial strategies. The Bulgarian prime minister said energy is the foundation of the two countries’ economies and that both should work to secure stable, reliable and affordable supplies for businesses and consumers.
Bulgaria and Slovakia are also members of the nuclear alliance and share the view that nuclear energy is essential for achieving the European Union’s climate and environmental targets.
“Without nuclear energy we cannot reach the environmental goals set by the European Union,” Radev said.
Fico described Europe as being in a “Renaissance of Nuclear Energy” and called the closure of nuclear reactors a major mistake. Both leaders also noted that nuclear power plants are increasingly attracting industries associated with the future, including data centers and large-scale artificial intelligence facilities.
Radev said Bulgaria and Slovakia want to position themselves among the leading countries in this field and benefit from the industrial opportunities created by nuclear energy.
The talks in Sofia covered broader bilateral cooperation as well. Radev said the two countries want to strengthen their partnership in security and defense, the fight against illegal migration, industrial development, the automotive sector, high technologies, artificial intelligence and energy.
Fico described Bulgaria and Slovakia as friendly countries with no unresolved political issues. He said he was pleased that Bulgaria would support Slovakia’s candidacy for the UN Security Council, arguing that the United Nations needs major reforms. Slovakia, in turn, supports Bulgaria’s efforts to join the OECD, Fico said.
The two prime ministers also discussed oil supplies to the European Union, while Fico said Bulgaria and Slovakia could cooperate in defense. He referred to Bulgaria’s established capabilities in the sector, saying that if a country does not produce or sell something, someone else will.
Radev and Fico also agreed that the war in Ukraine cannot be resolved militarily and expressed criticism of the current approach to sanctions against Russia.
Radev said Bulgaria remains part of common European decisions and stands in solidarity with its EU partners, but argued that sanctions should be assessed against their stated objective of ending the war and bringing peace.
“The general maxim is that sanctions, of any nature, especially in this war, must lead to stopping the war, must lead to peace,” Radev said.
He stressed that Bulgaria would carefully examine future sanctions packages and would raise its national interests in Brussels whenever proposed measures could harm the country.
“When we see that such a sanctions package may have elements that affect the Bulgarian national interest, our government is not afraid to openly put the Bulgarian national interest in Brussels,” Radev said.
As an example, he referred to Bulgaria’s position during the previous sanctions package, when Sofia insisted that three individuals be removed from the sanctions list. He also pointed to Greece, which Radev said had delayed sanctions measures until it could defend its interests concerning maritime transportation of Russian liquefied natural gas.
“National interests must be defended, because the European Union can only be strong when each member state defends its interest and is strong,” the Bulgarian prime minister said.
Fico took an even harder position, saying he does not believe the sanctions policy has been effective. He questioned how the EU could determine whether its restrictions are working while repeatedly introducing new packages.
“How many sanctions packages should there be? 100, 200? When can we say that this is successful? We are constantly convinced that they are successful and we are constantly adopting new ones,” Fico said.
The Slovak prime minister made clear that Bratislava would not support sanctions that threaten its national interests and said Slovakia could use its veto if necessary.
He cited potential restrictions on nuclear fuel as an example, warning that such measures could threaten Slovakia’s energy security because around 75% of the country’s electricity is generated by nuclear power plants.
Fico also recalled Slovakia’s opposition to ending Russian gas supplies to Europe and said Bratislava had taken legal action over the decision.
His criticism extended to what he described as increasingly militarized rhetoric surrounding the war in Ukraine.
“We do not need more weapons in Europe. We do not need more war. We need diplomacy, peace and solutions,” Fico said.
At the same time, he stressed that Slovakia’s membership in the EU and NATO remains the foundation of its foreign policy. He rejected what he called a black-and-white approach to international relations and argued that membership in those alliances does not require abandoning dialogue with countries outside them.
Fico also rejected claims that Slovakia is currently blocking European sanctions, distinguishing between objections concerning specific individuals on sanctions lists and blocking an entire sanctions package.
The Slovak prime minister thanked Radev for his hospitality and invited the Bulgarian prime minister to visit Slovakia.