Gov't official hold working meeting with European Commission experts for preparation of SAFE projects

 A new working meeting for the preparation of the projects proposed by Romania to be financed through the SAFE Program took place on Wednesday at the Victoria Palace.The consultations coordinated by the head of the Prime Minister's Chancellery, Mihai Jurca, were attended by experts from the European Commission and representatives of the ministries and institutions involved in the preparation of the projects, according to a press release sent by the Government.Romania will benefit from a loan worth 16.68 billion euros, being the second EU country in terms of the amounts made available through the SAFE Program.The discussions were followed by two visits. The first objective visited was the Bucharest Mechanical Plant, where the Piranha armored personnel carriers are produced. At this plant, Romania intends to develop a project through the SAFE Program. The second objective visited was the air base of the Ministry of Internal Affairs."The support of the European Commission is extremely important to finalize Romania's list of projects, as well as joint acquisitions with other states, interoperability and reducing delivery times, by increasing production capacities. We focus our attention on the development of the Romanian defense industry and its integration into European value chains. Our interest is also related to the construction of the Pascani-Ungheni - Pascani-Siret - highway sectors, as well as increasing military and civilian defense capabilities," said Mihai Jurca, quoted in the press release.Through the SAFE Program, Romania aims to equip all structures with military and dual-use equipment that have responsibilities in the field of national security and civil defense. Another objective is the integration of the national defense industry into European value chains.For the acquisitions supported by this program, priority will be given to locating production in Romania and introducing companies from the country into the supply chains of the defense industry in Europe."Another important direction is the development of drone capabilities (air or sea) in partnership with Ukraine, through production capabilities in Romania. Cooperation with Ukraine, whose expertise in this field is extremely valuable, and with the entire Eastern Flank, from Finland to Bulgaria, is mandatory to create a detection system and create a defense wall against drones. The Commission representatives will support Romania's proposal to open a dialogue with the rest of the Eastern Flank countries in order to coordinate the detection and interception capabilities of drones entering sovereign airspace, so that they function as a unitary mechanism and be the first line of detection for the rest of Europe," the release reads.The meeting at Victoria Palace was also attended by: Deputy Director General in DG DEFIS, SAFE Coordinator Herald Ruijters, Minister of Economy, Radu Miruta, representatives of the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Justice.The SAFE (Security Action for Europe) instrument is a temporary financial mechanism of the European Union, with a budget of 150 billion euros, in the form of loans. Nineteen member states, including Romania, have expressed interest in this instrument.The loans are granted based on a national defense industry investment plan, approved by the European Commission, and the funds can be used until December 31, 2030.