War of the Multirole Corvette: France and the Netherlands in the € 1.6 billion dispute in Romania (1)

By Constantin Radut
For two years, Romania is, along with Poland, the state that allocates 2% of GDP to the army and the endowment of the armed forces.
Romania respects an engagement that our country has taken as an active member of NATO.
The same commitment, at the pressure of the US and Donald Trump, was assumed by the other states of the North Atlantic Alliance.
According to a report by NATO Secretary General, in 2017, Romania was among the top five states that allocated the largest budgets for defense. Romania had estimated defense spending of $ 3.658 billion (1.8% of GDP) in 2017 compared to $ 2.086 billion in 2010 (1.24% of GDP) and $ 2.63 billion in 2016.
Before Romania is the United States (3.57% of GDP), Greece (2.36% of GDP), the United Kingdom (2.12% of GDP), Estonia (2.08% of GDP) and Poland 99% of GDP).
The NATO report shows that Romania has outpaced last year in terms of defense spending countries such as Denmark (1.17% of GDP), France (1.79%), Germany (1.24% of GDP), Italy (1.12% of GDP), the Netherlands (1.15% of GDP), Turkey (1.48% of GDP) and even Canada (1.29% of GDP). In 2019, according to the measures set by the Supreme Defense Council, our country will allocate a budget of € 4-4.5 billion for defense and army endowment.
There are important expenses for the air forces, as well as the land forces and the navy.
For the armed forces in the navy, Romania has much to recover. This is because Russia is showing an increasingly bellicous attitude in the Black Sea area, which the Kremlin leader wants to turn into a “Russian lake”, but also because the military equipment of the Navy is much, very much reduced face of 1989.
For 2018-2019 the Ministry of Defense in Bucharest organized several acquisitions to strengthen the naval defense force of Romania.
Among the most important acquisitions are four multirole corvettes, military ships with complex defense and attack equipment.
The Ministry of Defense allocated 1.6 billion euros to endow the naval forces with such units of defense of Romania and NATO.
Brief history of Corvette acquisition
The endowment of the Romanian Naval Forces with multilrole corvettes raises passion and controversy both in Bucharest and abroad.
The interest for such a business has been manifested at the highest level. French President Emmanuel Macron made a visit to Bucharest in August 2017. Although many Romanians believed that the impetuous French president would thaw the Romanian-French friendship and fraternity, the visit had as a priority the firm commitment of Romania to become a strong client in the military area. First of all, for the purchase of helicopters of battle that would be built at the French-Romanian company in Brasov and, secondly, the manufacture of at least four multilrole corvettes.
The President of Romania made a visit to Paris in November 2018, where he also discussed military cooperation.
In fact, in December 2018, the Country Defense Council met twice at the Cotroceni Palace to make a decision on the budget for the Ministry of Defense. The allocation of money for the production of corvettes triggered fierce disputes in the institution that decides defense spending.
In addition to the French at the Naval Groupe, Damen, an industrial group that in the past, has joined the game and has put his hand on two of the largest Black Sea shipyards in Romania.
In September 2018, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte paid a visit to Bucharest under the cover of Romania’s presidency of the EU Council on 1 January 2019.
The behavior of the two political leaders has, however, wounded in the Romanian public opinion.
When it comes to receiving money from Bucharest for various acquisitions or contracts, Romania is a democratic country. When it does not conclude a trade desired by the two Western capitals, then Romania is a corrupt and bad country.
This is the case with the acquisition of multirole corvette for the Romanian Naval Forces.
An article published on December 20, 2018, in the La Tribune French publication, drew attention to us. The French weekly is a respectable publication that does not quite mix politics with business.
However, in the text published by Michel Cabirol, head of the French weekly industrial section, the journalist at La Tribune is overwhelmingly polluting politics with the economy, inducing the idea that Romania is making military acquisitions, such as African states, whether or not under the influence of Paris.
We say that both Mark Rutte, Emmanuel Macron, and the journalist at La Tribune must understand that the money of the Romanians not be spent on “beautiful eyes” or gallant words.
In the case of the four corvettes, there is an antecedent. Respectively, the Technocrat Government ruled in 2016 by Dacian Ciolos awarded, without auction, by direct award, to the Dutch group Damen, the right to build the four corvettes at the yards in Romania.
At the beginning of 2017, the Social-Democrat Government canceled the agreement with Damen Group for the purchase of multilevel corvettes.
It was decided to organize an auction.
Details in part two.