President Iohannis sends National Defence Strategy to Parliament

President Klaus Iohannis sent the National Defence Strategy to the Parliament on Friday, the Presidential Administration informed.

The President also intends to address the Parliament on the matter at 5pm on June 22; he transmitted a message to Senate Speaker Calin Popescu-Tariceanu and to Chamber of Deputies Speaker Valeriu Zgonea, in accordance with Article 88 of the Constitution, asking them to notify the Parliament about his intention.

Iohannis had announced the Legislative plenary on February 9 that he would present the National Defence Strategy during the current parliamentary session. He launched consultations on this document on February 17; the then presidential advisor George Scutaru and state counsellor Sebastian Huluban were in charge of the drafting, a task later assumed by presidential advisor Ion Oprisor.

The President consulted the parliamentary parties on the strategy on June 8. On June 10, the Supreme Council for Country's Defence decided to send it to the Parliament for vote, under the title "A Strong Romania in Europe and in the World".

According to Iohannis, the concept of extended security is one of the main new items in the document. The strategy also reasserts the major role of the Strategic Partnership with the United States and of the NATO and EU membership in the country's foreign and security policy.

The National Defence Strategy had to be sent to the Parliament during the first six months of the presidential term, which began for Iohannis on December 21, 2014. AGERPRES