Romania will finance the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets at its Fătesti air base. This was reported by Profit.
According to the publication, the costs of training Ukrainian pilots and technical staff during their stay at the Romanian airbase will be covered by the budget of the Romanian Ministry of Defence.
This is stated in the relevant document.
“The expenses (…) are intended to pay for contracts required for the training of Ukrainian personnel, as well as for accommodation, meals, transportation, fuel consumed during the training, provision of special equipment and other related goods and services,” the document says.
At the same time, the document does not provide an estimate of the cost of training. It only states that no funds are needed in addition to those already approved for MApN through the budget.
Last autumn, the Romanian government introduced several exceptions to the Law on Public Finance and the Law on Fiscal Responsibility in the so-called “austerity decree” to allow the ministry, among other things, to “provide a framework for the organisation and operation of a pilot training facility for the operation of the F-16 aircraft (…)”.
The document also states that given the “sensitive nature” of the works and services to be contracted, as well as the “confidential nature” of the activities aimed at training Ukrainian personnel, the legislation governing public procurement “cannot be applied”.
“Given the urgency of this activity, the application of the legislation governing public procurement may lead to the impossibility of training Ukrainian personnel due to the timeframes regulated by law and the possibility of appealing procurement procedures,” the explanatory note to the document states.
The European F-16 Training Centre (EFTC) was inaugurated in Fătesti in November last year, as officially announced by the Romanian Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT) in the summer.
Source: The Gaze
