Romania's delegation to the informal meeting of the EU Council for Competitiveness (COMPET) emphasized the need to accelerate the transition from initiatives and prototypes to actual industrial-scale defense production, according to a statement published on the website of the Ministry of Economy, Digital Transformation, Entrepreneurship and Tourism (MEDAT).
According to the ministry, Romania took part in the informal COMPET meeting on the internal market and industry, held in Nicosia over February 2 - 3 under the Cypriot Presidency of the EU Council; Romania was represented by MEDAT Secretary of State Viorel Baltaretu.
During the session dedicated to the defense industry, Romania spoke for speeding up the shift from initiatives and prototypes to effective industrial production, through European instruments capable of supporting mature projects with clear economic and strategic impact.
Romania underlined the importance of creating a predictable framework for the defense industry, including through medium- and long-term contracts and by integrating Romanian companies into European value chains - conditions necessary for investment, industrial growth and the development of local capacities.
The delegation also highlighted the role of dual-use (civil-military) technologies and the need for mechanisms that accelerate dual-use projects, ensuring that today's investments contribute both to security and to industrial competitiveness and economic development in the medium and long term.
In this context, the agreement signed with Rheinmetall for the development of a gunpowder factory in Romania - an investment estimated at around EUR 535 million - was mentioned as a project that will strengthen the national defense industry and support its integration into European value chains.
The COMPET meeting focused on strengthening the EU's technological and industrial defense base, assessing the implementation of the Competitiveness Compass one year after its launch, and examining the future direction of the single market, including through the lens of the Consumer Agenda 2030.
At the session on the Competitiveness Compass, "Romania supported a pragmatic, implementation-oriented approach, stressing that the EU's ambitious goals must be aligned with the real delivery capacity of member states".
The Romanian delegation emphasized that the main constraints on competitiveness are not solely financial, but relate to human resources, energy and digital infrastructure, and administrative capacity. Romania therefore advocated reducing administrative burdens, simplifying procedures and supporting SMEs as essential elements for turning the Competitiveness Compass into a tool with real economic impact.
In the European Commission's summary of the defense industry session, member states' interventions highlighted the need for European initiatives to be based on solid business cases, with clear objectives, realistic timelines, well-defined budgets and return-on-investment assessments. This approach was reiterated in the conclusions of the Competitiveness Compass session as a benchmark for moving from political declarations to operational instruments.
In discussions on the Consumer Agenda 2030, Romania supported strengthening consumer protection and ensuring the coherent enforcement of rules across the single market as a factor of trust and economic stability.
Romania also stressed the importance of maintaining a balance between consumer protection and the economic sustainability of adopted measures, so that they do not lead to price increases or reduced options, especially for consumers and SMEs.
On the sidelines of the COMPET meeting, Secretary of State Viorel Baltaretu held a working meeting at the Romanian Embassy in Cyprus, as well as bilateral discussions with representatives of several member states and EU officials, focusing on competitiveness, the internal market and industry, with the aim of strengthening Romania's coordination on ongoing European files.
Comentează