The draft law on national defence, approved on Thursday by the Government, enshrines the principle of single, interinstitutional leadership at the strategic level for situations provided for by the Constitution, with the Interior Ministry (MAI) leading during a state of emergency, and the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) in situations of siege, armed aggression, mobilisation or war, Defence Minister Ionut Mosteanu announced.'The draft law on national defence is a necessity for the Romanian Army and for the national defence system, as the current National Defence Law dates back to 1994, Law no. 45/1994. Since then, much has changed in Romania, for the better, we have become NATO and EU members. Since then, various laws and regulations have been amended, but we needed a new law to integrate all these changes into a coherent concept. That is what has been done now. This law has six initiators, six initiating institutions, and six endorsing institutions. In short, the law comprehensively defines national defence, establishes the Ministry of National Defence's role in integrating and leading all forces involved in defending the country, according to current plans, and enshrines the principle of single, interinstitutional leadership at the strategic level depending on constitutional states: MAI during a state of emergency, and MApN during siege, armed aggression, mobilisation, or war,' Mosteanu told a press conference held at Victoria Governmental Palace.According to the minister, the draft law provides the domestic legal framework for implementing decisions adopted within the organisations to which Romania belongs, through mechanisms of interinstitutional cooperation.'The bill creates a framework for gradual, adaptive responses both nationally and within international cooperation structures, and many other aspects regarding how institutions with responsibilities in the national defence system collaborate with each other, as well as how all these institutions work with international partners and allies, in accordance with the norms set out by international treaties,' Ionut Mosteanu explained.