Bulgaria’s Parliament ratifies deal on acquisition of seven minehunters from Belgium and the Netherlands
Bulgaria’s National Assembly voted on August 26 to approve the first and second readings of ratification of a sale agreement and transfer agreement that will see the country’s Navy receive seven minehunters – four from Belgium and three from the Netherlands.
In the 240-seat House, 168 MPs voted at second-reading stage: 162 in favour, six against, with no abstentions.
The votes in favour came from Progressive Bulgaria, GERB-UDF, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Democratic Bulgaria and We Continue the Change, with the votes against coming from Parliament’s smallest group, pro-Russian party Vuzrazhdane.
The sale agreement between Bulgaria and the Netherlands will see Bulgaria acquiring minehunters Zierikzee, Willemstad and Schiedam, while the transfer agreement between Belgium, the Netherlands and Bulgaria will see the Navy receiving the minehunters Bellis, Crocus, Lobelia and Primula.
The agreement with the Netherlands includes a commitment by the Dutch to transfer ownership of each of the ships after restoring their technical capabilities and increasing their operational capacity.
The scope of the memorandum of understanding on the acquisition of the seven minehunters includes crew training, spare parts and additional equipment. The minehunters are equipped to seek and destroy mines and mine-like objects and are operational to Nato standards.
According to the memorandum, Bulgaria’s commitment is to pay for the cost of the repair and restoration activities of the seven ships to an extent that meets Nato operational readiness standards, as well as training Ukrainian minehunter crews. This latter requirement already has been fulfilled.
Earlier, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov told Parliament’s defence committee that repair and restoration work on a ship would cost up to six million euro.
The first minehunter from Belgium is expected to arrive in September-October 2026, Stoyanov said.
(Photo of the Schiedam: Torsten Bätge, via Wikimedia Commons)
