Romanian Vice‑Premier Tánczos Barna: SAFE defence programme may pass Parliament next week

Vice‑Premier Tánczos Barna told Digi24 that the EU‑backed SAFE programme could be approved by the Romanian Parliament as early as next week, provided political parties reach a consensus. He said, "SAFE‑ul cred că săptămâna viitoare, cu un acord politic în Parlament, poate fi aprobat," and emphasized that the choices for the programme were very limited.

Barna noted he attended the initial finance‑minister meetings on SAFE in early 2024 but did not take part in the final negotiations. He stressed the EU‑wide strategy of using European technology and defence companies, saying the list of firms capable of supplying world‑class systems is short and that the selected partners were drawn from that list. The finance ministry has already signed the agreement with the European Commission, with the first funding tranche expected in October 2026, described as a major opportunity for Romania and neighboring Moldova to connect to large‑scale European infrastructure.