Romania will raise its combined defense and security spending to 3.7% of GDP this year and has also joined NATO’s new Drone Edge initiative for joint drone procurement, President Nicușor Dan said.
The president made the announcement on Wednesday at the two-day NATO summit in Ankara. Romania also joined a NATO-backed initiative to acquire Saab GlobalEye surveillance aircraft and signed a declaration to establish a new international defense financing institution.
Romania shares a 640-kilometer border with Ukraine and its airspace has been repeatedly violated by Russian drones. In May, a drone hit a residential building in the eastern city of Galati, injuring two people.
This year, it spent 2.45% of GDP, of which 38% was on upgrading military equipment. US President Donald Trump has urged NATO allies in Europe to increase spending, saying they have unfairly leaned on the US for their security.
In a Facebook post, Dan said Romania remains committed to fulfilling its obligations as a NATO ally and will continue investing in defense and strengthening collective security, particularly in the Black Sea region.
“This year, we will reach combined defense and security spending of 3.7% of GDP,” Nicușor Dan said. “We are working to develop a stronger and more capable transatlantic defense industry. That is why Romania has joined the NATO Drone Edge project, an initiative that will enable Allied countries to jointly procure drones.”
He added that Romania would assume greater responsibility for collective security by contributing to deterrence and preventing incidents in the Black Sea region, in close cooperation with other NATO allies.
On Tuesday, Dan announced that Romania had joined NATO and partner countries in signing a declaration of intent to establish the Defense, Security and Resilience Bank, an initiative led by Canada aimed at strengthening financing for defense and security projects.
Romania is one of 11 NATO allies that have agreed to jointly purchase Saab GlobalEye airborne surveillance and command aircraft, as per an agreement announced during the NATO Defense Industry Forum in Ankara.
The aircraft will replace part of NATO’s aging fleet of Boeing E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System AWACS aircraft, marking a major step in modernizing the Alliance’s airborne surveillance and early warning capabilities, NATO said.
