‘More than 20 Romanian companies have presented innovative defence solutions to NATO agencies and, as of today, have open doors to a market worth billions of euros,’ said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oana Toiu, at the Romanian Industry Days event held at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) reports.

Foreign Minister Oana Toiu and the Minister of Economy, Digitalisation, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, Irineu Durau, on Monday concluded the first edition of the ‘Romanian Industry Day’ event, held for the first time at the NATO headquarters, in the presence of NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska.

The initiative, organised by Romania’s Permanent Delegation to NATO, marked an important stage in integrating Romania’s defence industrial base into the Alliance’s global supply chains, at a time when total allied defence budgets exceed 1.4 trillion US dollars annually, according to MAE.

The event facilitated high-level technical consultations between the more than 20 participating Romanian companies and the leadership of NATO’s specialised agencies: the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) and the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). Discussions focused on identifying technological niches where Romanian expertise can add immediate value, particularly in anti-drone systems, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, the press release added.

‘We have built this event with close attention to detail and a long-term vision for our industrial resilience, in which our companies must enter the production chains of the world’s largest defensive alliance. Today we have demonstrated that Romania has moved from being a consumer of security to a provider of advanced technological solutions. Economic patriotism means precisely this: opening NATO’s doors to our companies so that defence investments generate highly skilled jobs and prosperity at home,’ Minister Oana Toiu said at the official opening, according to the same source.

Through this initiative, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is revitalising its economic diplomacy component, paving the way for strategic decisions to be adopted at the upcoming B9 Summit in Bucharest and the NATO Summit in Ankara. AGERPRES (RO – writing by: Karina Olteanu; EN – writing by: Cristina Zaharia)