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Romania, first in NATO for budget allocations for equipment purchases

The Ministry of National Defense welcomes NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s annual report, released on March 15, at the Alliance headquarters. According to the document, Romania’s spending on defence budgets increased significantly in 2017, approaching the 2 percent threshold of the Gross Domestic Product. The percentage spent on equipment purchases places our country first in the Alliance, with 33 percent. Romania is also in the first position in terms of the rate of increase of the defence budget compared to the previous year.

After nearly a decade, our country managed to counter the under-financing of the Army in 2017, allocating 2 percent of GDP to the Defense, and will continue to do so by 2026.

Based on the execution of the 2017 budget, defence spending was 14.764 billion lei (of which, as we have seen, 33 percent were targeted for major equipment purchases), or 1.81 percent of the estimated GDP at the time of budget approval, ranking Romania in the 6th place within NATO at this indicator.

In 2016, the defence budget was 11,230 billion lei, while in 2017 it was 16,322 billion lei. The increase was 5.092 billion lei, over 45 percent, being one of the largest increases in defence spending.

Thus, the substantive commitment to the fulfilment of Romania’s obligations on all important topics on the NATO agenda, based on the national decision to ensure the budgetary resources needed to modernize and strengthen the defence capabilities, is reconfirmed. This is the commitment made in Wales.

By adequately financing the procurement of equipment / technology essential to the structure of forces and revitalizing existing military equipment and technology systems, which have been approached with priority last year and this year, our country demonstrates that it fulfilling its obligations as a member of NATO and that it is a credible and predictable ally in this region of Europe.

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