The Romanian government presented in late January the projects included in the EU’s SAFE program. With an allocation of €16.6 billion, Romania ranks second among beneficiary countries, after Poland.
Funds from the SAFE program take the form of a 45-year loan, with a 10-year grace period – meaning no principal repayments will be required until 2035 – the head of the Prime Minister’s Chancellery, Mihai Jurca, said, adding that Romania is benefiting from a low interest rate.
Under the program’s requirements, 65% of the equipment must be produced within the European Union, while the entire software component must be transferred to the purchasing state, allowing for reconfiguration or adaptation in emergency situations, Jurca explained.
State-owned companies under the Ministry of Economy, defense industry firms, as well as private companies, may take part in the projects. Companies that currently have no military production capacity may also be included, provided they reorganize their operations. Through this approach, the government aims to stimulate economic growth and create new jobs.
Of the total SAFE allocation, Romania has earmarked €4.2 billion for dual-use infrastructure, including key segments of the A7 and A8 motorways: Pașcani-Suceava-Siret and Pașcani-Iași-Ungheni.
The European Commission has decided that procurement will be carried out jointly by member states, while individual, country-specific acquisitions must receive approval by the end of May 2026.
Defense Minister Radu Miruță praised the rapid validation of Romania’s projects, which were approved by the European Commission in the very first funding tranche.
“Financing was secured under extremely advantageous conditions for Romania. (…) The claim that these are just loans with no benefit is false. (…) Another advantage is that we are forced to demonstrate our ability to produce in a very short timeframe. Within a year and a half to two years, we must complete a factory,” the minister said.
Miruță added that transparency in procurement is essential, stressing that “there are no secrets when it comes to public money.”
He also said that 21 projects linked to the Ministry of National Defense have been submitted under SAFE, totaling €9.54 billion. Of these, ten involve joint procurement with other countries, while eleven are individual acquisitions.
Joint procurement projects include €652 million worth of Mistral missiles from France, 12 next-generation H225M helicopters, also from France, 12 radars from France, air defense systems from Germany to complement Romania’s Patriot system, and two air defense command systems, also to be purchased from Germany.
Regarding Airbus’s factory in Brașov, where Romania has ordered the H215 helicopter model, the minister said the new SAFE-funded contract exclusively covers the H225M model, which cannot be produced domestically and must be manufactured in France, though efforts are underway to localize the production of certain components in Romania.
Miruță also warned that procurement under SAFE “will not tolerate shortcuts or shady deals,” referring to companies or individuals seeking quick profits without delivering, or delivering far below expectations.
€900 Million for Civil Protection
Approximately €900 million from the SAFE program has been allocated to civil protection.
Romania is among the few EU countries to include civil protection in its SAFE package, a move encouraged both at NATO and EU levels.
The equipment purchased for civil protection will not be limited to a single use, but will be designed for deployment in any situation that could generate major impact or consequences, said Raed Arafat, head of the Department for Emergency Situations.
Asked how much of this equipment would be produced domestically, Arafat said “a significant part will most likely be manufactured in Romania,” including multi-casualty transport vehicles and specialized trains. Other assets, such as multi-role aircraft, cannot be produced locally.
He added that it is too early to estimate how much of the €900 million allocation will go toward domestic production.
The selected projects were designed around several core concepts: mass-casualty response, chemical-biological-radiological-nuclear (CBRN) protection, drone and robotics systems, continuity of public utilities in the energy sector, and military and personnel mobility.
All the equipment involved is dual-use, meaning it can serve both military and civilian purposes.
