Romania’s commitment to consolidating EU’s strategic profile was reaffirmed at the NATO Defence Ministers Meeting

Romania's commitment to consolidating EU's strategic profile was reaffirmed at the NATO Defence Ministers Meeting

On Wednesday, October 15th, Minister of National Defence, Liviu-Ionuț Moșteanu, participated in the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in the EU Defence Ministers format.

The meeting took place in the form of a working dinner and focused on measures to enhance the level of preparedness to support European defence efforts in view of the objectives set for 2030 (Defence Readiness 2030).

At the same time, this was an opportunity to present the main elements of the future Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030 goals, a document that will be presented by the European Commission and the High Representative in preparation for the European Council Meeting of 23-24 October 2025.

Defence Ministers emphasized the need for a stronger involvement of the European Union in implementing the objectives of the White Paper for European Defence - Readiness 2030, with a focus on reducing critical capability gaps. In this context, they supported the adoption of common approaches, the coordination of efforts within capability coalitions, maintaining the central role of member states and strengthening the European Defence Agency's mandate. At the same time, the officials expressed their openness towards the "flagship" projects proposed by the European Commission, intended to focus and prioritize efforts, highlighting the importance of ensuring their inclusive nature.

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, presented an assessment of the support provided to Ukraine, inviting member states to identify additional opportunities to connect and integrate this partner into the European defence initiatives.

In his speech, Minister of National Defence highlighted the main areas of interest for Romania in the context of the coordinated effort to consolidate European capabilities and stressed the importance of the projects launched by the European Commission dedicated to the security of the Eastern Flank, namely Eastern Flank Watch and European Drone Defence.

"I welcome these European initiatives and consider it important that their implementation takes into account both the urgency of filling capability gaps as well as the need to increase production capacity, including by balancing the geographical footprint of defence industries at EU level and expanding them in the areas most exposed to military threats," Minister Moșteanu stated.

At the same time, the Romanian official emphasized the need for the capability development process to focus on achieving concrete results, focusing on pragmatic approaches and pursuing the ultimate goal of increasing citizens' security. Finally, the minister welcomed the progress made towards adopting the Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030.

The Press Office