Romania and Bavaria are seeking to develop cooperation in the security and defence industry through joint development and production projects, technology transfers, investment and the integration of companies into European supply chains, representatives of the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Romania) inform on Wednesday.

According to a press release sent to AGERPRES, AHK Romania, together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Munich and Upper Bavaria (IHK Munich) and the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, organised a conference in Munich dedicated to cooperation between Romania and Bavaria in the security and defence industry.

'The event confirmed that Romania can play a broader role than simply being a market, namely as a partner in production, research, maintenance and innovation on NATO's eastern flank. The country's industrial base, expertise in software, artificial intelligence, engineering and cyber security, as well as its strategic position, complement the Bavarian ecosystem,' said Sebastian Metz, CEO of AHK Romania.

According to the same source, trade between Bavaria and Romania has increased more than fivefold over the past two decades, reaching almost 8 billion euros in 2025. More than 1,000 Bavarian companies have business relations with Romania, which ranks among Bavaria's top 15 trading partners worldwide. Around 200 companies in the security and defence industry operate in Bavaria, while more than 100 companies in Romania are already active in the sector.

Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy Hubert Aiwanger stressed the importance of cooperation with Romania in the current context.

'Bavaria and Romania are already linked by a success story in economic terms. The security and defence industry is currently gaining increasing importance worldwide. (...) we need to improve our defence capabilities, including through cooperation with Romania,' Hubert Aiwanger said.

Romanian Economy Minister Irineu Darau, for his part, said the partnership should lead to investment and concrete results.

'The signing of the cooperation protocol between Romania and Bavaria marks a new stage in strengthening the bilateral economic partnership, with a focus on investment, local production, technology transfer, digitalisation and the integration of Romanian companies into European value chains,' the Romanian official said.

The conference examined areas where industrial cooperation could be further developed, including air defence, drones and counter-drone systems, sensor technology, secure communications, artificial intelligence, cyber security and space technologies.

The event was part of the programme of a high-level business delegation focused on developing industrial cooperation in the defence and security sector. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Nicoleta Banciulea; EN - Cristina Zaharia)