Foreign Affairs Council Meeting (Defence)

On Tuesday, November 14, Minister of National Defence, Angel Tîlvãr, participated in the Foreign Affairs Council Meeting (Defence), which took place in Brussels.

The main topic of discussion of the defence ministers was EU's support provided to Ukraine, in the context of the Russian Federation's war of aggression. The long-term support was addressed from the perspective of the adaptation of current instruments, such as the European Peace Facility, in order adequately meet the requirements of the Ukrainian partner and reaffirm EU's determination to support it.

In his speech, the Romanian Minister of Defence emphasized the importance of continuing providing EU support to Ukraine and briefed on the recent steps taken at national level, including in the context of Romania-Ukraine Joint Declaration, adopted on October 10. Angel Tîlvãr restated the support committed by Romania, including at training level, briefing his interlocutors on the opening of the European F-16 Training Center in Romania, whose priority will be the training of Romanian pilots, but will also be open to the allied and partner states, including Ukraine.

"Our support to Ukraine is firm and constant. It is important to remain focused on the Black Sea Region and maintain unity in terms of supporting Ukraine", Minister Tîlvãr said.
At the same time, the operational efforts of the EU in various theaters of operations around the globe as well as the implementation of the commitments made through the Strategic Compass regarding the development of the EU Rapid Deployment Capability (EURDC) were also discussed.

As part of the meeting, the defence ministers also participated in a working breakfast with the NATO Secretary General. The talks focused on the efforts of the two organizations made in the field of resilience, especially with respect to the protection of critical infrastructure. Thus, the progress achieved in rendering operational the EU-NATO dialogue on this subject was pointed out.

"The recent events that affected the critical underground infrastructure from the Baltic Sea emphasize, once again, the need to take effective measures to increase the resilience and ensure the security of the critical infrastructure. These lessons also apply in the Black Sea, where we are facing an increase in demand for connectivity, energy and digital infrastructure. Ensuring the resilience of the critical infrastructure is also an important element of the EU-NATO cooperation, as it is necessary to consolidate this dialogue", Minister Tîlvãr pointed out.

The Romanian official also pleaded for the enhancement of EU-NATO cooperation and coordination in support of the partners, especially of the Republic of Moldova, a state which is facing hybrid security threats.

As part of the FAC Meeting, the European Defence Agency (EDA) Steering Committee also met in the format of defence ministers. During the meeting, the new priorities of the Military Capability Development Plan and the 2024 budget were approved.

The Romanian official emphasized the importance of including the lessons learned from Ukraine in the process of developing European military capabilities and adapting European industry to the new security realities. Minister of National Defence reiterated Romania's commitment to jointly developing, with European partners, solutions in this field and supporting the national defense industry, in the context of the European Commission's initiatives in this respect.

The Press Office