Romania has emerged as the second-largest beneficiary of the European Union's SAFE (Security Action for Europe) program, securing €16.6 billion in EU-guaranteed loans through 2030 for military modernization and strategic infrastructure. The allocation positions Bucharest behind only Poland's €43.7 billion package, underscoring Romania's transformation from EU periphery to frontline strategic partner in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Defense Minister Radu Miruță announced the detailed spending plan on January 26, describing SAFE as essentially a "military version of the PNRR"—Romania's EU pandemic recovery program. The funding, drawn from a total €150 billion SAFE budget approved by Brussels in September 2025, comes as 40-year loans with a 10-year grace period, with repayment beginning only in 2035. All expenditures must be completed by December 31, 2030.
Of the total allocation, €9.53 billion is earmarked for military hardware, covering 21 defense projects that blend joint acquisitions with allied nations and individual purchases. The Ministry of Defense plans to acquire French helicopters (the single largest expense at approximately €850 million for 12 aircraft), Piranha armored transporters in both wheeled and tracked variants, French air-defense systems, and American-Norwegian anti-ship missiles. Romania will also procure 70 loitering munitions—"kamikaze drones" estimated at €147 million—and surveillance systems worth €45.77 million.
The acquisitions mark a decisive shift away from Soviet-era equipment toward NATO-standard systems, a transition Romania has pursued since its 2004 NATO accession but accelerated dramatically following February 2022. For a country that spent decades on the alliance's southeastern flank as a lower-priority member, the scale of EU investment reflects Brussels' reassessment of Romania's strategic value. The country now hosts significant NATO battle groups, provides crucial Black Sea access, and shares a 650-kilometer border with Ukraine.
Infrastructure receives €4.2 billion, dedicated to two "strategic highways" explicitly designed to support military mobility: the A7 Moldova Highway (Pașcani-Suceava-Siret route) and the A8 Union Highway (Pașcani-Moțca-Iași-Ungheni). Both corridors align with NATO's eastern mobility architecture, addressing Romania's chronic infrastructure deficit—a gap that has long hindered both economic development and defense readiness. In Romania, as across Eastern Europe, the transition is not over—it's ongoing, and these highways represent the convergence of security imperatives with long-delayed domestic modernization.
An additional €2.8 billion flows to the Interior Ministry and security forces for armament, cyber protection, communications infrastructure, ambulances, and notably an "intervention and transport train" capable of accommodating 300 people, plus aircraft and riverine vessels for Danube operations.
Yet the program has drawn criticism from defense analysts. Former NATO General Dorin Toma told PressOne that Romania's shopping list reflects an "administrative" rather than "operational" approach when compared to Poland's more strategically coherent spending. General Toma identified notable omissions: artillery systems, cyber defense capabilities, surface and submarine maritime systems, and electronic warfare equipment—all capabilities the Ukraine conflict has demonstrated as essential to modern warfare.
Transparency concerns persist as well. No official supplier list exists, and according to PressOne, procurement procedures had not commenced as of early 2026, raising questions about whether Romania can effectively deploy €16.6 billion within the four-year spending window.
The SAFE program represents a watershed moment in EU defense policy, moving beyond traditional structural funds to direct military investment—a step Brussels resisted for decades. For Romania, the funding offers both validation and pressure: validation of its strategic importance to European security, and pressure to demonstrate it can translate unprecedented resources into genuine military capability and infrastructure progress. Western European governments, long skeptical of Eastern European defense preparedness, are watching closely whether Bucharest can execute at the scale Poland has managed.
The stakes extend beyond Romania's borders. If successful, the SAFE-funded transformation could serve as a model for EU defense integration along the entire eastern frontier. If mismanaged—through procurement delays, corruption, or strategic incoherence—it risks reinforcing Western European doubts about channeling defense resources eastward. In Romania, the transition continues, and this time, the entire EU is invested in the outcome.
