A NATO exercise in Romania, blocked due to non -reaid lands/ intervention of three ambassadors for a bridge

For ten months, the army, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and three allied countries demand some mayors or the Romanian Ministry of Development to strengthen some roads, some land, two bridges and two bridges. They were vital for the organization, in May 2025, of a NATO exercise in which Romania's defense was to be simulated. Meanwhile, the exercise has been postponed, writes Free Europe.

The first request that the Ministry of National Defense (MAPN) made the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration (MDLPA) to repair several small roads, some land, and two bridges, from the areas of military objectives, dates from July 23, 2024.

“Between May 5, 2025-25 May 2025, military exercises will be held on the national territory in which the Allied countries (NATO) will participate. The analysis of the dislocation locations for the troops and the infrastructure that will be used during the exercises, executed at the Ministry of National Defense, has led to the conclusion that part of the access roads in these locations Moving the heavy technique ”, MAPN motivate.

Repeated requests made by dogs MApN

The roads that MApN would have wanted and still wants to use are:

• The land of land that connects the county road (DJ) 104J and access to a location in Făgăraş;
• The road of exploitation/neighborhood of local interest that connects DJ 104A and a location in Şinca commune (Brasov county), on which there are three bridges, two of which must be repaired;
• The exploitation road that connects DJ 7C and a location from Cârţişoara (Sibiu county), located on a tar;
• Extension of the street December 13 from Brasov.

MAPN also mentioned, in the address of July 2024 to the Ministry of Development and Public Works, that the military units that manage the barracks that used these roads had already requested their repair. They had addressed to the mayors who have responsibility for the access roads.

However, “the authorities of the local public administration announced that they do not have sources of financing for the accomplishment of the requested works”, it is shown in a document reached at the Chamber of Deputies, consulted by Free Europe, in which the official correspondence between institutions on this subject is described.

The exercise to which the Ministry of Defense referred was to take place on May 5-26, 2025 and is called Dacian Spring 25. During the exercise, it was followed that the NATO combat group, led by France, would reach the brigade level. That is, France should bring at least 2,000 soldiers in Romania, in Cincu (Brașov county) and in other locations, additional compared to the 1,500 that already exists.

They were to join other military from NATO and thus over 4,000 Romanian and foreign military to simulate quick dislocation in Romania and defense missions on the national territory. In March 2025, French leaders announced the postponement of the dislocation of French troops in Romania until autumn.

Interventions from three embassies and MAE

One month later from the first address sent by the MApN to the Ministry of Development and Public Works, in August 2024, three ambassadors of some allied NATO states that have dislocated military in Romania also send a letter to MDLPA.

The representatives of France, Belgium and Luxembourg reported to the Ministry of Development that there is an obstacle that limits the proper functioning of NATO troops, respectively a bridge that will ensure a road connection between the Voila station and the “General Berthelot” Fighting Group. The works at the Bridge in Voila, with a length of 94 meters, has been passing for four years.

The action of the ambassadors is also joined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), which, on September 10, 2024, writes the same Ministry of Development. For the good performance of the Dacian Spring 25 exercise, says the MAE, the authorities must repair the Bridge from Voila requested by the Military for several years

“The importance of the mentioned objective can also be highlighted by the fact that it is on one of the rapid evacuation routes for the military structures dislocated in the meeting center from Cincu-the route to the north, the route being the south being Cincu-Vila.”

The MAE recalls that at Dacian Spring 25, from May, there were to take place on the territory of Romania certification exercises of the operational state of the allied military structures on the national territory, exercises that “will be carried out in the proximity of the Cincu polygon”. “The defective fulfillment of the established objectives being caused by the state of the road infrastructure would affect the desire to attract allied forces on the national territory,” the MAE warned in the autumn of 2024.

MAPN: Road repair is “a strict necessity”

On October 3, 2024, the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration receives the 4th letter-it also comes from the MApN, which returns with a new address, showing that another important objective for the army-the bridge over the Sighișoara river, must be repaired.

“The infrastructure work is an objective of major importance from a strategic point of view, because it limits the movements of movement of the troops and military technique dislocated in the meeting center in Cincu (Brasov county). The analysis, based on military considerations, carried out at the Ministry of National Defense, has highlighted the fact that the objective of the units From the town of Cincu and the meeting center.

On December 17, 2024, MAPN returns to the Ministry of Development with another address. The army writes that only one road of the four described in July, the one from Făgăraș, has been repaired in the five months from the first request sent. Specifies that the rehabilitation of the roads of land is of “strict necessity” for the safe dislocation of the military equipment of the French brigadier level.

In addition, it justifies the MApN, in the long term, the roads will ensure the flow of finding/deflaction of the structures in the context of military contingency plans. Continting plans are the ones that show how Romania defends in case it is attacked.

Money, allocated after 6 months from the first request

On January 31, 2025, the Marcel Ciolacu 2 government adopts an ordinance that allows the Ministry of Development to allocate the money needed to repair roads, bridges and bridge requested for the transit of military cars.

The normative act stipulates that the source of money is the national investment program “Anghel Saligny”, a national program for financing some investments that have a budget of 50 billion lei (10 billion euros) during the period 2021-2028, although “through it (no Anghel Saligny) cannot be financed all the objectives of investment”, explains the Government.

The executive mentioned that, until January 2025, “from the total value allocated to the national development program Stage II, of 33 billion lei, 31,269 billion lei are employed, with an available 1.730 billion” (346 million euros). The whole government specified, in the January ordinance, meant to unlock the financing for the repair of roads, bridges and bridge required by the MApN, that “the estimated value for two of them (no requests) is about 6,500,000 lei” – 1.3 million euros, ie less than 2 percent of the available amount.

Contacted by Free Europe, the Minister of Development, Cseke Attila, said that, while the works on the bridge in Sighișoara are contracted “in execution”, the repairs required by the MApN for roads have not started. The minister's explanation is that the local authorities are taking the necessary steps, but they “move hard”.

About postponing the Dacian Spring 25 exercise, French officials said for Free Europe that it was requested so that the dislocations of military and fighter machines would not overlap the presidential election campaign in Romania. High Romanian military officials have explained that the exercise by which the NATO combat group will increase temporarily will take place in autumn, without specifying an exact date.

A program funded by the EU

The European Union launched, in 2018 and later in 2022 (after the large -scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine), action plans for a faster and safer movement of military logistics between member countries.

The dimensions and ability to support road bridges, says the EU, are essential elements in the movement of military vehicles on the roads. An armored vehicle weighs tens of tons and can even reach 100 tons, with the carrier on which it is climbing for travel.

Over 1.75 billion euros is the financing made available by the EU-gradually, in several project calls-for military mobility, through a program to improve European connectivity (CEF). Through this program, the National Road Infrastructure Management Company (CNAIR) has started investments of about 60 million euros – of which half European money – for the modernization of six bridges.

Five of them are located near military bases or on roads leading to them, and the sixth, from Ungheni-distinctly financed-is strategically positioned, on the border with the Republic of Moldova:

• Rehabilitation bridge on DN 2A, over the White-Midia-Năvodari Gate channel (286.2 m), in Ovidiu, Constanța county. Located near the military base from Mihail Kogălniceanu;
• Rehabilitation on DN 1, over the Prahova river (51.5 meters), near Azuga, Prahova county. Located on the main national road in Romania, on the Bucharest-Braşov route.
• New bridge on DN 6, over Jiu (183.4 m), in Arginești, Mehedinti county; DN6 leads to the military base Deveselu;
• Rehabilitation on DN 15, over Bistrița (near the Biza dam) in Stejaru, Neamț county. Located on the national road that connects Piatra-Neamţ-Târgu-Mureş-Câmpia-Turzii air base;
• Rehabilitation on DN 15, in Viișoara (in the area of ​​Bicaz Dam), Neamț county. Located on the national road that connects Piatra-Neamţ-Târgu-Mureş-Câmpia-Turzii air base;
• Bridge built from scratch, at the end of the A8 highway, over Prut, at Ungheni. Located on the border with the Republic of Moldova.

For another 30 bridges of strategic importance, CNAIR will submit applications for the same program, mentioned the representatives of the company for Free Europe.

Also with military mobility funds, a financing for the feasibility study (SF) of almost 7 million euros was obtained for a new bridge over the Danube, in Giurgiu-Ruse, to double the old bridge of friendship. The SF must be completed by 2026. The European Commission already approved-said the governor of Ruse, Bulgaria-a massive financing, of about 2.5 billion euros, and for the construction of the bridge itself, which could be ready by 2030.