Part of the Annual Conference of CNSDR – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Jointly organized by the Center for National Security and Defense Research – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (CNSDR-BAS) and the Bulgarian Defence Institute “Prof. Tsvetan Lazarov”

Bulgarian Defence Institute “Prof. Tsvetan Lazarov” 26 March 2025

The national security issues we face in light of the current geopolitical challenges are among the main priorities of the state and society. In this regard, the integration of Bulgarian industry and science into EU and NATO initiatives related to the use of space for defence and security needs is becoming an increasingly relevant topic.

In order to conduct a full-fledged discussion on the key priorities of European initiatives for security and defence, the use of space technologies and the development of innovations in the field, the Center for National Security and Defence Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (CNSDR-BAS) and the Bulgarian Defence Institute “Prof. Tsvetan Lazarov”, are organizing a joint workshop: Space for Security and Defence. At the invitation of the National Armaments Director, Col. V. Shekerov, Director of the Armaments Policy Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria, representatives of the European Space Agency (ESA) will participate in the meeting:

• Gen. Pascal Legai – Senior Security Adviser to ESA DG, Director General’s Services; former head of the French Space Command (CDE) and the EU Satellite Centre – SatCen, in Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain;
• Christopher Topping – Head of ESA’s “Crisis Resilience and Security from Space” (CSS) Programme and the Rapid & Resilient Crisis Response (R3) Accelerator.

The main topics of the event will be the application of space technologies for crisis management, natural disasters and accidents; response to humanitarian crises resulting from conflicts; ensuring the resilience of critical infrastructure; the impact of the adverse effects of climate change on security and defence. The agenda of the event includes discussions on:

• ESA’s “Crisis Resilience and Security from Space” (CSS) Programme and Rapid & Resilient Crisis Response (R3) Accelerator;
• Capacity of Bulgarian entities to participate in ESA’s CSS Programme and R3 Accelerator.

The Workshop “Space for Security and Defense” will be held on March 26, 2025 at the Bulgarian Defence Institute “Prof. Tsvetan Lazarov”.