Bulgaria has said it is prepared to use its veto power to block the inclusion of Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, in the European Union’s latest sanctions package. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, speaking on the sidelines of an EU summit, said Sofia would not support sanctions that could harm the country’s interests.

In comments reported by Nova.bg, Radev said: “What concerns me is not what the Patriarch has done, but the entire Russian community that belongs to the same Eastern Orthodox Church as we do. We are one family. When sanctions of this kind are being discussed, the views of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church must also be taken into account.”

He added that Bulgaria was prepared to veto the draft decision.

The Bulgarian prime minister also said the government opposed sanctions that threatened the country’s economy. As examples, Radev cited potential risks to the operations of Lukoil, the supply of spare parts for the Sofia metro system and fertiliser imports.

“We will discuss this later, but if a serious risk emerges to the operation of Lukoil Neftohim Burgas, we will also demand that the facility be removed from the sanctions list,” Radev said.

Continuing his criticism of the proposed measures, he added: “What message are we sending by extending sanctions and waging a war against religion? Do we understand where this could lead? I have said it before: the era of the Crusades is over.”

Opposition to symbolic measures with limited economic impact

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova also said Sofia opposed sanctions that carried no meaningful economic impact and could ultimately prove counterproductive.

Arguing that sanctions should function primarily as an instrument of economic pressure, Petrova-Chamova said restrictions targeting the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church were largely symbolic in nature. She added that freezing the patriarch’s assets could trigger accusations that Europe was interfering in church affairs.

Earlier, Politico reported, citing diplomatic sources, that Bulgaria had blocked part of the new sanctions package, although no details were provided.

Euronews subsequently reported that the proposed measures included restrictions targeting Patriarch Kirill. A similar sanctions proposal failed in 2022 after being vetoed by Hungary.

According to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, the bloc’s 21st sanctions package envisages restrictions against 170 individuals and entities.

Politico reported that the new measures could target Russian banks, the so-called shadow fleet and organisations linked to the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Russian government maintains that Western sanctions are illegitimate and ineffective. Vladimir Legoyda, head of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Synodal Department for Relations with Society and the Media, described the possible inclusion of Patriarch Kirill on the sanctions list as a meaningless step.

A steel industry giant and the head of a Gulf sovereign wealth fund have warned that excessive European Union regulation is constraining business activity and undermining investment.

Lakshmi Mittal, chairman of steelmaker ArcelorMittal, which was acquired by India-based Mittal Steel in 2006, wrote in the Financial Times that emissions trading rules were harming energy-intensive industries.

Mittal argued that low-cost, low-emission energy sources remain out of reach for the steel sector and other energy-intensive industries.

“Competitive electricity prices, low-cost green hydrogen, carbon contracts for difference, ‘green premiums’ for steel and decarbonisation enablers such as carbon capture and storage have yet to materialise,” Mittal said, adding that no company has the luxury of investing without a credible pathway to competitiveness.

Yasir al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, said the regulatory environment was discouraging international investors from allocating more capital to the bloc.

Speaking at a summit in Rome on Thursday, al-Rumayyan said regulatory challenges and certain laws expected to enter into force had seriously affected investors such as the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Aramco and chemicals group SABIC, not only in terms of making additional investments but also in maintaining their existing investments in Europe.

A new EU regulation gives Brussels the authority to block companies subsidised by foreign governments from participating in public procurement contracts, mergers and acquisitions, and even from selling goods and services within the single market.

Using that instrument, the European Commission launched an in-depth investigation into the acquisition of German chemicals group Covestro by Abu Dhabi’s state oil company. The transaction was ultimately approved.

Al-Rumayyan said he remained hopeful that European governments could find solutions to the challenges that were discouraging investors.

However, EU officials quoted by the Financial Times privately dismissed the complaints as lobbying efforts and argued there was no clear evidence that investment from the Middle East was slowing.

“If investors from the region are behaving more cautiously, it is probably related to the [Iran] war rather than our regulations,” one EU official said.

According to analysis by EY, foreign direct investment into the EU fell 7% in 2025, while a growing number of companies identified excessive regulation as a risk to doing business.

Rather than dismantling regulations, Brussels appears to be adding new layers. In March, it tightened its screening of foreign direct investment.

Germany will not commit to joining a mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz until it has seen the details of a potential agreement between the United States and Iran, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.

Speaking alongside Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in Berlin, Wadephul said Berlin required greater clarity before it could define the scope of any possible deployment.

“A prerequisite for us to be able to draw up a mandate is that the actual conditions are clear. That begins with my wanting to know what the 14 points presented by the United States and Iran are — not only from press statements, but officially. I want to understand them. I want to know what they contain,” Wadephul told reporters.

Wadephul also echoed remarks made by French President Emmanuel Macron during the G7 leaders’ summit on Tuesday. Macron said France could be prepared to rapidly deploy fighter jets and frigates, but only if a request came not only from the United States but also from Iran and Oman.

“Germany must know whether such a mission is possible in that maritime region. That means the coastal states must give their consent,” Wadephul said.

“So far, there has been at least some ambiguity on the Iranian side, and even statements rejecting the idea have been heard. I do not know whether that is the final decision. But it is clear to us that these prerequisites must be clarified.”

Germany is ultimately expected to contribute to any mission by deploying mine countermeasure vessels. However, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government has repeatedly stressed that it requires a clear legal basis before taking such a step.

Wadephul and his Polish counterpart said this objective could also be achieved by expanding the mandate of Europe’s Aspides mission, the European Union military operation launched in 2024 to address what they described as the “Houthi threat” to maritime shipping in the Red Sea.

“From the perspective of the German government, the European Union’s Aspides mission also provides a suitable basis for reinforcing our European responsibility and establishing a legal foundation,” Wadephul said.

“That is why I once again propose that we discuss adapting this mandate accordingly within the European framework.”

Sikorski endorsed the proposal.

“When military operations have ended, we are considering establishing a legal framework for the Aspides mission, and that would also be acceptable for Poland,” he said in Berlin.

The Aspides mission currently covers the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman, but does not extend to the Strait of Hormuz. European Union leaders rejected a proposal to expand the mission during a summit in March.