Romania is subjected to an unprecedented round of austerity policies that cut deeply into the country’s public sector and social fabric. At the same time, it militarises aggressively and is set to become the second-largest borrower under the EU SAFE rearmament scheme. This is justified on the one hand through the alleged Russian threat and on the other as a lifeline towards the country’s reindustrialisation. But a closer analysis shows that the rearmament plan focuses overwhelmingly on arms imports, with only some low value-added assembly or maintenance scheduled to happen in Romania. This is in line with the country’s status as an extractive economy within EU-imposed dependency structures. Conversely, Romania is rapidly becoming the central hub of Israeli military and political interests in Europe and their gateway to EU public funds. In addition to hosting subsidiaries and factories of Elbit Systems, the largest private Israeli arms manufacturer, arms purchases from Israel are also booming, in direct violation of international law. The presentation will review the contradictions that make possible Romania’s porousness to Israeli interests in the context of Europe-wide militarisation as well as lessons learned during the nation-wide 2025-2026 ELBIT OUT! campaign against the government’s complicity with the Palestinian genocide.
Oana Uiorean is a writer and organiser from Romania, currently living in exile in Belgium.