DefMin Ciuca says Romania should steer more of its defence spending into local industry

Romania's defence spending of two percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for ten years should be found increasingly more in investments in the Romanian industry, in modern production facilities and highly qualified jobs created in the country, National Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Thursday. "We have made available to the Ministry of Economy, the government institution that coordinates the defence industry and with which we have an excellent collaboration, the 10-year projection of our acquisition plans and the funding of these programs, so that business operators active in this sector can adjust their development strategies for the requirements and acquisitions of our armed forces," Ciuca said at a meeting with representatives of the Alliance of Trade Unions of the Defence and Aeronautical Industry (ASIAA). According to a press statement released by the Defence Ministry, the meeting revolved around the idea of revitalising the Romanian defence industry so that it would be able to supply the Romanian Army with weapons, equipment and technology designed and manufactured at the level of technological development currently existing on the world market that live up to the standards that meet the requirements formulated by our army branches and ensure interoperability in a NATO context. The goal involves the development of a collaborative relationship between the national defence industry and the Ministry of National Defence, a relationship that must be developed by launching investment programmes in upgrading production lines of equipment and weapons, building partnerships with foreign companies, but also through know-how transfers between the research units of the army and the companies in the defence industry. The meeting was attended by senior official Marius Balu in charge with the relations with Parliament and staff life quality. AGERPRES (RO - author: Sorinel Penes, editor: Mihai Simionescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Rodica State)