Romania received the green light for the SAFE military procurement program. The announcement made by the European Commission

On Thursday, the European Commission completed the procedure for signing the SAFE Loan Agreement with Romania, based on which our country will have access to a financing of 16.68 billion euros, the second largest allocation in the EU, after Poland, according to the announcement made by the Ministry of Finance.

The SAFE program, intended for investments in defense, in strategic infrastructure and in strengthening the European defense industry, allows EU states to access European loans on favorable terms, for urgent investments in security and defense, explained the Ministry of Finance.

“For Romania, the financing covers endowment projects, military technology, associated infrastructure and transport projects with strategic relevance. According to the plan submitted to the European Commission, the allocation includes approximately 4.2 billion euros for road transport infrastructure of national interest, the difference being intended for endowment and infrastructure projects in the area of ​​defense and security,” the institution said in the press release sent on Thursday.

SAFE, “an investment in the security and resilience of Romania”

The finance minister said the allocation of €16.68 billion can “support defence, strategic infrastructure, high profile national industry and jobs in sectors with high added value”.

Alexandru Nazare described the program as “an investment in Romania's security and resilience”.

“Through SAFE, Romania is not only investing in defense and security, but is creating perhaps the most important opportunity in recent decades for connecting Moldova to the large European infrastructure. In these months, concrete mechanisms were created through which the strategic projects in the region — Pașcani–Suceava–Siret, Târgu Neamț–Iași–Ungheni and other essential investments for Moldova — will have a distinct and predictable record of funding until 2031,” he added the minister.

He claims that “SAFE means security for Romania, but also one of the most important development opportunities for Moldova in recent decades”.

“We have also created a distinct mechanism for recording the financed projects, in the budgets of the credit officers who will manage the investments from this program, so that citizens can see transparently, until 2031, how much is invested annually in highways and infrastructure that can fundamentally change the connectivity and economic development of the region,” Minister Nazare also declared.

How the SAFE tool works

The Ministry of Finance explained that the agreement signed today by the European Commission “establishes the conditions for granting the loan, the period of availability and the mechanism by which Romania will be able to submit payment requests”.

“After the entry into force of the agreement, the European Commission will be able to grant Romania a pre-financing of 15% of the loan, i.e. approximately 2.5 billion euros. Each installment, including the pre-financing, will have a maturity of 45 years, with a grace period of 10 years,” the institution wrote.

The funds granted to Romania through SAFE will be managed by the Ministry of Finance, and the Chancellery of the Prime Minister will ensure the general supervision of the Plan, while the beneficiary institutions – the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Special Telecommunications Service, the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Protection and Guard Service, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and the National Administration of Penitentiaries – will implement the projects and purchases assumed by Romania's investment plan.

“SAFE is a temporary European instrument, created to support member states in making urgent and major defense investments, in the context of the deterioration of the European security environment. For Romania, funding represents both a security instrument and an economic opportunity: investments in industry, infrastructure, technology and strategic capabilities”, concluded the Ministry of Finance.

Military purchases of over 9 billion euros for the Army0

The Ministry of Defense has established a series of programs worth over 9 billion euros. For 16 of these programs with a value of 8.33 million euros, MApN recently obtained the approval of the Parliament, while another program – the purchase of 231 systems with 934 Mistral missiles, estimated at almost 700 million euros, received approval in the past.

Separately, the MAI will handle the procurement of assault weapons, pistols and rifles in various configurations, including the Army's future assault weapon. The contract, which involves the production of weapons in Romania, as well as ammunition, has a value of over 8,800 million euros.

LIST of Army SAFE contracts approved in 2026 (last column shows degree of local procurement)

PHOTO: Cateyeperspective | Dreamstime.com