President Iliana Yotova opened the international Black Sea Technology Forum in Varna. As an EU member, she said, Bulgaria must treat tech sovereignty as a priority.

Tech sovereignty doesn't mean Europe should cut itself off from the rest of the world, Yotova said. Instead, Europe should build and protect the critical technologies its economy and security depend on. The EU needs its own know-how and the freedom to choose its partners, she added, and Bulgaria must play an active part in that process.

"We need to be very responsible here," the president said.

Yotova also spoke about how advances in technology affect people's lives and health, especially in medicine. "Technology should be a tool, not a substitute, for medicine," she said.