The government adopted a package of amendments and additions to the SAFE program (“Action for the Security of Europe”) to ensure the rapid and efficient implementation of the National Investment Plan for the European defense industry.
The government has approved changes to the SAFE program on the defense industry
The main changes aim at completing the institutional, financial and procedural framework, so that Romania can sign procurement contracts by the deadline of May 30, 2026, without administrative or budgetary blockages, the Executive informed.
According to him, extended powers are introduced for the Ministry of Finance regarding the financial management of the SAFE program. It signs the loan agreement and the operational agreement with the European Commission, manages financial flows and loan withdrawals, including pre-financing, and ensures the records and use of funds in accordance with public debt rules. At the same time, the Ministry of Finance coordinates the financial control mechanisms and centralizes the reports on the justification of expenses for the entire duration of the implementation of the Plan.
The instrument of the “cooperation agreement” is introduced, which regulates the industrial obligations of economic cooperation, and the reception of the products is conditional on the fulfillment of these obligations, certified before delivery. This mechanism ensures that investments do not stop at one-off purchases, but generate real effects in the economy, jobs and the development of industrial capacities in Romania.
Overall, the changes strengthen the state's administrative capacity to absorb European funding and quickly implement endowment and industrial development projects in the field of national defense and security.
Also, the normative act introduces a series of changes to optimize the implementation of PNRR in Romania, by completing and adjusting the provisions of Law no. 102/2024, which approves GEO no. 8/2024 for the amendment of GEO no. 124/2021 regarding the institutional and financial framework for the management of European funds allocated to Romania through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, as well as by updating GEO no. 155/2020 regarding the development of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, necessary to access repayable and non-repayable external funds.
Thus, the possibility of extending the duration of contracts, decisions and funding orders until August 31, 2026 is introduced, through a simplified notification mechanism. This procedure eliminates the bureaucracy associated with the conclusion of additional documents, while ensuring verification and validation by reform or investment coordinators, with a response time of 5 working days, and the lack of a response results in tacit approval. For components with a high volume of projects, such as the Renovation Wave, the Local Fund and Education, the extension is carried out by notification by the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration, using its IT platform, thus avoiding the individual processing of thousands of requests.
It is also foreseen the involvement of regional development agencies in the technical monitoring of the physical progress of investments, at the request of MIPE, but strictly according to the instructions of the national coordinator. This measure brings flexibility, efficiency and allows real-time identification of projects at risk of delay, while maintaining centralized control.
These changes aim at simplifying administrative procedures, increasing the predictability and security of financial flows, as well as ensuring the implementation of PNRR projects by the deadline of 2026.
