On June 18, 2026, the International conference “ Contemporary Security Threats: Resilience and Policy Responses Final International Conference” was held in Sofia, bringing together leading international experts, representatives of law enforcement and judicial institutions, and members of the academic and expert communities.

Deputy Minister of the Interior Ventsislav Katinov addressed the conference participants and emphasized that, in the context of growing geopolitical instability and the increasingly close intertwining of organized crime, extremism, and terrorism, an effective counter-strategy requires coordination, timely information sharing, and full utilization of national and European cooperation mechanisms.

Investing in staff through new knowledge and the exchange of experience is extremely important, along with the modernization of technical equipment, emphasized Maya Petkova, Director of the “International Projects” Directorate at the Ministry of the Interior and Head of the Managing Authority for Funds in the “Home Affairs” sector, who was also among the official guests at the event.

The conference’s thematic panels featured representatives from the Munich Police, the Bavarian Police Academy, the University of Applied Sciences for Criminal Investigations and Public Security in Zagreb, GRETA of the Council of Europe, and other internationally recognized experts, who discussed current challenges to national and European security, contemporary trends, and opportunities for closer international cooperation.

The event marked the final phase of the project “ Capacity building through exchange of good practices and research in the security domain,” funded under the Internal Security Fund 2021–2027. As part of the project, over 560 representatives of security institutions participated in a training and seminars and initiatives for the exchange of experience in Germany, focused on combating THB, radicalization, and extremist propaganda.