Romania’s Perception of the EU Defence Industrial « Toolbox »

Over time, the European Union (EU) could gradually become a major player in the EDTIB, the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base. In recent years, it has developed several initiatives to support defence industrial cooperation between Member States and their defence companies. For European capitals, this represents a major paradigm shift. How do they see this new role that the EU, and the Commission in particular, are in the process of acquiring? What is their perception of the EU’s toolbox for supporting the EDTIB?

To answer these questions, the Ares Group has launched a series of seven papers (comments) on as many European countries. Here, Dr. Simona R. Soare analyses the case of Romania. The paper finds Romanian participation in EU defence projects is modest so far, but comparable to other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, which suggests poor representation is not merely a national challenge but rather a regional one. Structural problems in Romania’s defence industrial ecosystem are discussed in the paper, too.

While recent developments suggest Romania is interested to better position itself to better leverage the EU defence toolbox, Romanian authorities remain sceptical of the European narrative on strategic autonomy which could splinter the transatlantic alliance. Furthermore, while Romania participates in common procurement initiatives, Bucharest has previously defended its sovereign right to procure military equipment as a sovereign decision. This is likely to continue, not least because most Romanian military capabilities are procured from its closest strategic partner and ally, the US. At the same time, viable defence industrial cooperation with a host of European partners and allies is increasingly available and advisable, which is where the added value of the EU defence toolbox lies…