Romanian Defense Ministry rejects 10 million euro armored vehicle offer, cites cost concerns

Romania's interim Defense Minister Radu Miruță has refuted claims that the Ministry of National Defense (MApN) deliberately obstructed the procurement of Piranha armored vehicles by manipulating selection criteria. Miruță labeled the reports as "fake news" and outlined the ministry's rationale for rejecting the offer.

According to Miruță, the operational criteria for the acquisition were established before his tenure and remained unchanged throughout the process. He explained that in March 2026, the ministry paid approximately 3.9 million euros for a Piranha armored vehicle. Subsequently, Parliament approved a ceiling of about 6 million euros per unit, considering cost inflation.

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Raportat la prețul plătit de MApN în martie 2026, de aproximativ 4 milioane de euro, și la valoarea aprobată în Parlament, de până la 6 milioane de euro, noua ofertă primită a fost de circa 10 milioane de euro pe bucată.

However, the offer received for the current program, SAFE, was around 10 million euros per vehicle. Miruță emphasized that this price significantly exceeded the previously paid amount and the parliamentary-approved budget. He stated that the ministry could not legally sign a contract under these conditions, as the offer surpassed the values authorized by Parliament.

"We need armored vehicles, but we cannot pay 10 million euros for something we acquired for 4 million euros just a few months earlier," Miruță asserted. To prevent the loss of available funds, the ministry has reallocated the money to other armament programs that fall within the approved financial limits. The verification of compliance with parliamentary-approved conditions was conducted by approximately 50 specialists within the ministry.

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Ei s-au asigurat că armata primește, cât se poate de repede, ceea ce are nevoie, după criterii clare și operaționale.