The joint standing bureaus of the Parliament took note, on Monday, of the request of the Ministry of National Defence for the initiation, through the General Directorate for Armaments, of the procedure for the purchase of 200 PAC-2 GEM-T missiles for Patriot surface-to-air missile systems."In the context of the security crisis in the region, for the operationalisation and strengthening of the ground-based air defence capability related to the essential endowment programme 'High-range surface-to-air missile system (HSAM)'/PATRIOT provided for by Law no. 222/2017, in addition to the number of missiles related to the two stages of the PATRIOT programme, it is necessary to partially supplement the combat stocks with 200 PAC-2 GEM-T missiles, which will be purchased through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency/NSPA), using the ESSI initiative (European SKy Shield Initiative) led by Germany," reads the MApN request addressed to the leadership of the Parliament.According to this document, the purchase will be made by NSPA by awarding a contract to the COMLOG/Germany Company, for the manufacture of missiles, and through an FMS (Foreign Military Sales) type LOA (Letter of Offer and Acceptance) agreement with the US Government, for the approval of the missiles manufactured in Europe."According to what was communicated by the NSPA representatives, the maximum unit price is around EUR 5,444,750, without VAT, and the estimated total cost for the entire missile package is EUR 1,088,950,000 without VAT (includes spare parts, related services and FMS costs) and will be precisely established after the initiation of the procedures for awarding the purchase contract. The initial advance, of approximately 35% of the estimated total value of the entire package must be paid in 2023 or the first quarter of 2024," shows the document sent to the specialized committees, which will later be submitted to the approval of the plenum of the Parliament.The increase of the MApN budget, starting in 2023, to 2.5% of GDP, ensured the conditions for the initiation of purchases strictly necessary for the acceleration of the modernisation of the Romanian Army, it is mentioned in the request.
Romanian prime minister Ilie Bolojan stated during an interview on Wednesday, December 17, that there should be no statute of limitations in cases of serious corruption. The statement comes after a Recorder investigation, which showed that several heads of the major institutions in the Romanian justice system allegedly delayed trials for years until wrongdoings were […]
President Nicușor Dan has challenged, before the Constitutional Court (CCR), the constitutionality of the law that requires that at least 40% of the athletes who play on a team in official national competitions be Romanian. Dan noted that the law violates the principle of non-discrimination and the free movement of workers, enshrined both in the […]
Craiova International Airport will open its new passenger terminal on Thursday, December 18, completing a major infrastructure investment aimed at significantly expanding capacity and improving air connectivity in southwestern Romania. It is part of a broader expansion and modernization project financed through the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme (POIM) 2014–2020, with a total value exceeding EUR […]
Romania is set to be connected to the Western European energy network thanks to grid investments worth EUR 30 billion. The funds will be provided by the EU by 2035, and the project will link Romania to Hungary and Austria in a joint project. Romanian energy minister Bogdan Ivan signaled the signing of the new […]
Franck Bagouet has been appointed managing director of TotalEnergies Marketing Romania SA and managing director of Automotive Southeast Europe Hub TotalEnergies Marketing. He succeeds Didier Grimault, who has accepted a new position within the TotalEnergies company. “I am glad to join this dynamic affiliate and confident that, together with our talented team, we will reinforce […]
Databricks, the data analytics and artificial intelligence company co-founded by Romanian professors Ion Stoica and Matei Zaharia, announced on Tuesday, December 16, that it is raising USD 4 billion in funding at a valuation of USD 134 billion, according to CNBC. The new valuation represents a 34% increase compared to the August round, when Databricks […]
