Minister of National Defence at Romania Government Roundtable “South-East Europe’s Next Leap Forward”

Minister of National Defence, Radu Miruță, participated on Tuesday, March 31, in the Romania Government Roundtable "South-East Europe's Next Leap Forward", organized under the aegis of The Economist, a format dedicated to analyzing the role of South-East Europe in the context of current global transformations.

 

In his speech, the minister has stressed that Europe is in a process of redefining its security architecture, the dimensions of defence, industry, technology and partnerships being integrated into a complex structural aggregate. In this context, he emphasized NATO's role as the foundation of Euro-Atlantic security, including through the implementation of new regional plans and an increased readiness, as well as through the Allies' efforts to ensure a defense budget allocation of 5% of GDP.

 

At the same time, the progress made at the European Union level was highlighted, especially the SAFE program, which mobilizes major resources for the capability development, in complementarity with the planning at Allied level. In this regard, Minister of National Defence stressed the need to consolidate the capacity of the defence industry in order to meet the current operational requirements through measures such as increasing production, developing supply chains and ensuring delivery at scale at the pace required by the developments in the security environment. The minister explained Romania's proposal at European level so that the future mechanisms financing the defence industry in Europe should include the mapping of all available platforms, regardless of their status, from each country and their incorporation within the future strategies at EU level.

 

The defence minister also highlighted the importance of technological innovation, including in areas such as autonomous systems, artificial intelligence and cyber defence, as well as the role of partnerships, especially the transatlantic ones, in supporting resilience and industrial competitiveness.

 

When referring to Romania, the Minister of National Defence emphasized the country's firm commitment to strengthening the Eastern Flank, as well as the strategic role of the Black Sea region for the European security. In this regard, he stressed the importance of hosting Allied forces, increasing investments in capabilities, military mobility and infrastructure, as well as the efficient use of European instruments. In the same context, he recalled that Romania benefits from approximately 16.7 billion euros through the SAFE program, this being the second largest allocation for an EU member state. The allocated funds are planned to be used to modernize forces, develop infrastructure and increase resilience.

The Press Office