Romania celebrates 21 years of NATO membership

Ever since 2004, when it joined the North Atlantic Alliance, Romania has been celebrating NATO Day on the first Sunday in April.

Corina Cristea, 07.04.2025, 14:00

“The values promoted by the Washington Treaty, in particular the deep significance of Article 5 referring to collective defence, have been and will remain essential landmarks in which Romanians believe strongly”, said defence minister Angel Tîlvăr, who attended the NATO Day celebrations held in Romania on Sunday.

The event marked the country’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance 21 years ago, something that brought Romania its most solid security guarantees. Ever since, owing to its participation in international missions in Afghanistan and the Western Balkans, hosting the missile defence shield in Deveselu, in the south, and the Euro-Atlantic Centre for Resilience, Romania has demonstrated consistency and commitment.

NATO membership led to significant changes to the Romanian Army, which is now more professional as a result of the experience earned in missions carried out in theatres of operation. Angel Tîlvăr underlined the crucial role played by the Romanian military in the fulfilment of this national objective, through their “successful participation in international missions, their professionalism, adaptability and their always being aware that they act as ambassadors for Romania”:

“Accession to the North Atlantic Alliance was an essential step forward for the consolidation of our security and stability and demonstrated Romania’s commitment to the democratic values. All this has made possible the economic development and prosperity. This celebration is also an opportunity to recognise all those who contributed to the fulfilment of this national objective.”

Angel Tîlvăr also expressed his gratitude to the allies who have deployed troops to Romanian territory, demonstrating the Alliance’s unity and solidarity every day. At the moment, Romania is hosting some 5,000 allied troops. These are mainly part of the NATO Battle Group in Cincu, in the centre, with France acting as framework nation, and also comprising military from Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg. The Headquarters Multinational Corps Southeast, the Headquarters Multinational Division Southeast in Bucharest and the Multinational Brigade South-East in Craiova also contain allied military.

Romania’s interim president Ilie Bolojan also issued a statement on NATO Day saying that in the current international context, now more than ever, NATO membership is a security guarantee and a solid basis for Romania’s further development and positioning itself as a pillar of stability in the region and a responsible ally. “NATO remains the guarantee of our collective defence and Romania’s commitment to fulfil its obligations is unflinching”, the interim president also said. He added that after complying with its promise to boost its defence spending to over 2% of its GDP, Romania is aiming to gradually increase this level in the following years, while maintaining a balanced budget and with the support of European instruments.