The Space Defence Forum takes place at a moment when Europe’s security debate is being reshaped by industrial constraints, geopolitical fragmentation and the growing strategic importance of space. Defence can no longer be viewed only through procurement or military capability; it now sits alongside supply-chain resilience, technological sovereignty, climate exposure and orbital infrastructure as part of the same strategic picture. Co-organised by Ratio, the Bulgarian Space Cluster, SeeNext and De Re Militari, the forum is designed to bring these strands together in one setting and connect European-level debate with practical regional capability.
Attendees should expect a forum with clear practical value: a place to understand how the space and defence agenda is evolving, where the most important risks and bottlenecks are emerging, and which capabilities and partnerships are likely to matter next. For companies, institutions, researchers and investors, the event offers a focused opportunity to engage with the organisations shaping this agenda, test assumptions against expert analysis and position Bulgaria within a wider European conversation on resilience, security and strategic advantage.
Segment 1: Money, infrastructure & Cybersecurity: How prepared is Southeast Europe
Keynote by Ognyan Georgiev, SeeNext / Moderated by Ognyan Georgiev, SeeNext
Ognyan Georgiev
SeeNext
We explore the enabling conditions that determine whether Southeastern Europe can build credible resilience in the face of growing security pressures. In his keynote, Ognyan Georgiev will present SeeNext’s report, Defence & Security in SEE, setting out the region’s current position and the main constraints affecting its defence and security landscape.
The panel will then turn to three areas that increasingly define strategic readiness: infrastructure, cybersecurity and finance. From physical, digital and energy systems to cyber preparedness for governments and businesses, and from funding gaps to investment opportunities in defence-related activities, the session will examine the practical foundations on which regional resilience depends.
Mihail Petrov
Chief Executive Officer
Schwarz Digits Bulgaria
Marina Kobakova
Country Manager
ING Bank Bulgaria & ING Bank Austria a.i.
Tsanko Arabadzhiev
Board Member and Executive Director
Bulgarian Development Bank
Dimitar Dimitrov
Co-Founder
WISER
Segment 2: Future Threats and Security Risks to Space and Communications in a Changing Environment
Keynote by Tsveti Monova-Borisova, De Re Militari / Moderated by Petko Zhelyazov, Ratio
Petko Zhelyazov
Ratio
This panel will broaden the discussion to examine the wider security landscape affecting space and communication infrastructure. While climate intelligence helps anticipate environmental risks to satellites and communication systems, these assets are also increasingly exposed to geopolitical tensions, cyber threats, and the development of anti-satellite capabilities.
The discussion will explore how contemporary geopolitical and systemic risks shape the security of space-based infrastructure, how cybersecurity challenges affect satellite networks and communication systems, and how the emergence of anti-satellite weapon systems is redefining strategic stability in space.
Ruslan Trad
Author and Editor
Capital
Tsveti Monova-Borisova
PhD researcher
Contributor,
De Re Militari
Georgi Vasilev
Contributor, De Re Militari
Journalist, Dnevnik
Segment 3: Strategic autonomy and capabilities in Southeast Europe
Moderated by Simon Jenner, Bulgarian Space Cluster
Simon Jenner
Bulgarian Space Cluster
This segment examines how Europe’s evolving approach to space and defence translates into industrial opportunity and strategic responsibility for Bulgaria. The keynote will set out the European perspective on the growing intersection between orbital capability, security, resilience and defence, and outline how space is being integrated more directly into the EU’s wider strategic agenda.
The discussion that follows will focus on Bulgaria’s place within that landscape. Joining the panel will be leading figures from the country’s space sector, including Victor Danchev, CTO at EnduroSat, Ventsislav Neykov, VP automotive, aerospace and defence at Wiser Technology, and Dinko Manolov, CEO at Kodinsoft. Together, they will explore the capabilities Bulgarian companies already bring to the table and the practical steps required for Bulgaria to play a more substantial role in Europe’s emerging space-and-defence framework.
Victor Danchev
Chief Technology Officer
EnduroSat
Ventsislav Neykov
VP Automotive, Aerospace & Defense
Wiser Technology
Dinko Manolov
Chief Executive Officer
Kodin Soft
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 13:00 | Doors Open |
| 13:30 | Opening by the Ministry of Innovation and Growth |
| 13:45 | Event Intro by the Bulgarian Space Cluster, SeeNext and De Re Militiari |
| 14:10 | Report: Defence & Security in SEE by Ognyan Georgiev, SeeNext |
| 14:30 | Money, Infrastructure & Cybersecurity : How prepared is Southeast Europe - panel moderated by Ognyan Georgiev, SeeNext |
| 15:15 | Coffee Break |
| 15:30 | Climate Intelligence in the Management of Environmental Threats to Space and Communications by Tsveti Monova-Borisova, De Re Militari |
| 15:50 | Contemporary geopolitical and systemic risks, cybersecurity and anti-satellite weapon systems - panel with De Re Militari, moderated by Petko Zhelyazov |
| 16:30 | Coffee Break |
| 16:45 | Strategic autonomy in the EU |
| 17:25 | Space companies and defence capabilities on the Balkans - panel moderated by Simon Jenner, Bulgarian Space Cluster |
| 18:20 | Closing |
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