Bulgaria's yes to a NATO base in Kabile: it will be run by Italian and Bulgarian military personnel. Here are the characteristics
On 29 January, the Bulgarian parliament ratified an agreement with Italy to build and use a military facility near the village of Yambole
by Andrea Carli
Key points
The last piece to make the project operational has arrived. ANATO base on Bulgarian territory will be jointly managed and developed by Italian and Bulgarian military personnel. On 29 January, the parliament of that country, which has recently adopted the euro as its official currency, ratified an agreement with Italy that envisages the construction and use of a military facility near the village of Yambol, in Kabile.
The base, which will house the multinational Atlantic Alliance Battle Group in Bulgaria and will be jointly built by the Italian and Bulgarian militaries, will integrate with the existing logistical infrastructure and the nearby Bezmer air base, located about 100 km from the Black Sea. On NATO's eastern flank, Italy is present with more than two thousand military personnel; about 750 have been deployed in Bulgaria since it assumed command of the Battle Group on 17 October.
Agreement reached in December during a visit by Crosetto to Bulgaria
The agreement, which received the green light from the Bulgarian National Assembly, was signed on 24 December by Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and Bulgarian Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov. The signing took place on Christmas Eve at the 22nd Air Base in Bezm, during a visit to Bulgaria by the minister. According to reports in recent days in local media, under the defence cooperation agreement for the joint construction and management of military infrastructure, Italy is responsible for the assembly and installation of residential buildings, offices, infrastructure, accommodation and related services, and the opportunity to undertake the necessary construction work, including with the use of its armed forces. The new base is to house the multinational brigade, which will be up to 3,000 strong. The Bulgarian executive spokesman clarified that Sofia will provide an economic contribution, and will be involved in specific investments.
NATO garrison on the eastern flank
The context for this project is the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 and the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Two events that substantially changed the European security framework. Hence the Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP), which marks the Alliance's presence on the eastern flank integrated into NATO's chain of command. Currently operating in this context are eight Forward Land Forces, multinational battlegroups with continuous presence in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary and, indeed, Bulgaria. The deployed units operate in close cooperation with the national forces of the host countries, conducting joint training activities and integration programmes aimed at ensuring operational continuity, high readiness and interoperability.
Italian-led NATO Battle Group
Within this framework, Italy, which has participated in the battlegroup since 2022, plays a leading role: it is framework nation of the battlegroup in Bulgaria and participates as a contributing country in the battlegroups in Latvia (led by Canada) and Hungary (led by the host country).
