Romania Demands a Bigger Slice of Europe’s Defense Boom

Romania is pushing to ensure that Europe’s rearmament effort benefits all EU members—not just the bloc’s largest defense producers. As defense spending surges across the continent, Bucharest wants new investment, jobs, and production lines to land inside its borders.

“If we spend people’s money on defense, it’s important they see that part of it is coming back to their country,” Romanian Defense Minister Liviu-Ionuț Moșteanu said in an interview at NATO headquarters. “It’s not just about buying rockets abroad. We aim to have a part of the production in the country — to be part of the production chain.”

The call reflects growing frustration among Central and Eastern European countries, which have boosted defense budgets but still rely heavily on imports from Western Europe. Nations such as France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden dominate Europe’s defense industry, while states like Romania, Bulgaria, and Slovakia struggle to rebuild or modernize their long-neglected military-industrial bases.

Romania, which borders Ukraine, Moldova, and the Black Sea, has become strategically vital to NATO since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It hosts a multinational NATO battlegroup led by France, including U.S. troops and air-defense units. Yet, despite its frontline role, much of the defense money still flows westward.

The European Commission estimates that meeting NATO’s new defense spending target — increasing from 2 percent to 5 percent of GDP by 2035 — will require an additional €288 billion annually. Moșteanu says part of that should translate into tangible industrial returns for countries like Romania, which is currently spending 2.3 percent of its GDP on defense, with plans to raise it to 3.5 percent by 2030.

The challenge, he admits, lies in modernizing Romania’s forces, still operating largely with Soviet-era systems, and developing partnerships with Western firms to transfer technology and know-how. “Every country wants a big share, but so far, only a few do,” Moșteanu said.

Romania’s message is clear: as Europe races to rearm, it wants to build — not just buy.

Source: Politico