The contracting stage of the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) programme will be partially completed by the end of May, while the ministry and the other contracting authorities have defined localisation criteria for future contracts so that production, jobs and vocational training take place within the country, Minister of Economy, Digitalisation, Entrepreneurship and Tourism Ambrozie-Irineu Darau said on Monday evening at the meeting of the specialised parliamentary committees for approving the ministry’s budget.
‘The contracting stage of the SAFE programme will be partially completed by the end of May, and also partially at a later stage. The Ministry of Economy, together with the Prime Minister’s Chancellery, the Ministry of National Defence and other contracting authorities, have defined localisation criteria, which are proposals for future contracts, in order to ensure a maximum share of production, jobs and vocational training taking place in the country. Negotiations with potential suppliers will follow,’ the minister explained.
He added that capital increases for state-owned defence companies will no longer be carried out. ‘We have abandoned capital increases for state-owned companies in the defence sector. There is already a great deal of capital available. All subsidiaries of ROMARM together amount to 1.5 billion lei. Increasing capital was no longer necessary, as had been the case every year,’ Darau said.
Romania will benefit from 16.68 billion euros in funding through the European Security Action for Europe (SAFE) mechanism, according to allocations announced by the European Commission for Member States. This is the second-largest allocation established by the Commission. Participation in the SAFE programme has three components: defence, budgetary and infrastructure. The SAFE instrument is a temporary financial mechanism of the European Union, with a budget of 150 billion euros, in the form of low-interest loans, for which 19 Member States, including Romania, have expressed interest.
The Government adopted the draft budget for 2026 last Thursday, based on projected economic growth of 1%, a budget deficit estimated at 127.7 billion lei, representing 6.2% of GDP, and inflation forecast at an average annual rate of 6.5%.
AGERPRES
