The NATO exercise “Dacian Spring 25,” which was meant to simulate the defense of Romania, was postponed as the local authorities failed to modernize five roads along with two bridges and two culverts that were to be used during the exercise, Europa Libera reported.

Dacian Spring 25 was meant to be organized between May 5-25. For it to take place, however, authorities in Romania had to modernize the roads necessary for the troops to move around. The first request to this end was made by the Ministry of National Defense and forwarded to the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration in July of 2024. 

“Between May 5, 2025 and May 25, 2025, military exercises will take place on national territory with the participation of allied countries. The analysis of troop deployment locations and of the infrastructure that will be used during the exercises, carried out at the level of the Ministry of National Defense, led to the conclusion that part of the access roads to/from these locations require rehabilitation/consolidation works so that they allow the movement of heavy equipment,” the Ministry said, cited by Europa Libera.

The roads that MApN wanted to use are: the dirt road that connects county road 104J and an access point to a location in Făgăraş; a road that connects DJ 104A and a location in the commune of Șinca (Brașov County), on which there are three culverts, two of which need to be repaired; a connection between DJ 7C and a location in Cârțișoara (Sibiu County); and another segment of 13 Decembrie Street in Brașov Municipality.

In the July 2024 letter to the Ministry of Development and Public Works, MApN also mentioned that the military units administering the barracks using these roads had already requested their repair.

However, “local public administration authorities communicated that they do not have funding sources to carry out the requested works,” states a document that reached the Chamber of Deputies, which describes the official correspondence between institutions on this issue.

Dacian Spring 25 is important because during the exercise the NATO Battle Group in Romania, led by France, was to reach brigade level. That means France was to bring at least 2,000 more troops to Romania, to Cincu (Brașov County) and other locations, in addition to the 1,500 already present. They were to be joined by other troops from NATO countries, so that over 4,000 Romanian and foreign soldiers would simulate rapid deployment in Romania and defense missions on national territory.

One month after the first letter sent by the MApN to the Ministry of Development and Public Works, three ambassadors from NATO allied states that have troops deployed in Romania (France, Belgium, and Luxembourg) also sent a letter to the Development Ministry. In it, they said that there is an obstacle limiting the proper functioning of NATO troops, namely a bridge that will provide a road link between Voila train station and the "General Berthelot" Battle Group camp at Cincu.

Similar calls from the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs followed. The Army also explained that, in the medium term, the roads requested to be repaired will be used for the fulfillment of NATO missions.

In response, on January 31, 2025, the second Marcel Ciolacu Government adopted an ordinance allowing the Ministry of Development to allocate the necessary funds, namely RON 6.5 million (EUR 1.3 million) for repairing the roads, culverts, and the bridge requested for the transit of military vehicles.

On April 2, Europa Liberă requested the Ministry of Development to disclose the status of the works on the strategic roads, culverts, and bridges requested to be repaired by MApN, MAE, and allied embassies in 2024. However, the current minister of development, Cseke Attila, stated that, while work on the bridge in Sighișoara is contracted and “underway,” the repairs requested by the MApN for the roads have not started. The minister’s explanation is that the local authorities are making the necessary steps, but “are moving slowly.”

Meanwhile, Dacian Spring 25 was postponed until the fall. At the same time, French officials told Europa Libera that a postponement was requested so that the exercise would not overlap with the electoral campaign for the presidential elections.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Ministerul Apararii on Facebook)