Prime minister Rumen Radev has asked the EU and NATO in writing for technical help to continue the investigation into the attack on merchant ships in the Black Sea, the Council of Ministers press office said. The letters went to European Council president António Costa, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and NATO secretary general Mark Rutte. Radev sent them earlier on the day he met European Commission executive vice-president Henna Virkkunen. See our original report: Henna Virkkunen to meet Rumen Radev and Ivan Vasilev in Bulgaria.

The meeting took place at the Council of Ministers. Deputy prime minister Atanas Pekanov and minister Vasilev also took part. They discussed sustainable investment in technology and innovation, the growth of small tech firms in Europe and ways to boost their competitiveness, amid the debates on the EU's new Multiannual Financial Framework.

Radev also briefed Virkkunen on the investigation into the attack on two merchant ships hit by drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. One of the ships sank. The prime minister said Bulgaria needs technological help from specialised EU bodies. It needs it most for a deep-sea survey of the sunken ship, to identify all the media and to search for debris from the drones used in the attack.

"The competitiveness of every member state and of the EU itself requires investment in high technology and innovation, and also that we guarantee our security," Radev said.

He said Bulgaria is investing in building and running IT ecosystems and AI factories, which fits the drive to make up for lost ground in recent years. After years of neglect, interest in engineering courses and in training AI specialists is growing again.

The prime minister said success in high technology and space research needs more than money and training of staff. Every year, Bulgaria shows what its young minds can do, with top places at olympiads in mathematics, physics and astronomy.