Romania
Romania boycotted the negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2017 and has consistently voted against the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty, including in 2024. Romania may sign and ratify or accede to the TPNW, but will have to make changes to its policies and practices to become compliant.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1970) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 1999, Annex 2 state) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2010) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2010) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1979) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1995) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| Test | Compatible | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| (d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Non-compatible |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted no (2024) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | No |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | N/A |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | N/A |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | No |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted no |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | Yes |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | Cleared |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
In July 2024, two US nuclear-capable B-52H Stratofortress aircraft arrived at the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in Romania as part of the Bomber Task Force Europe. ‘This marks the first time US strategic bomber aircraft have operated out of Romania,’ the US European Command announced on its website.1
Romania participated in NATO’s annual nuclear strike exercise, known as Steadfast Noon, in October 2024. It contributes to NATO’s Conventional Support to Nuclear Operations (CSNO) mission with its F-16 aircraft.2
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, Romania condemned Russia’s announced deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus, while asserting that NATO’s ‘nuclear-sharing arrangements’ – which involve the stationing of US nuclear weapons on the territories of Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Türkiye – ‘have always been and continue to be fully consistent with’ the NPT.3
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Romania said that it ‘remains fully committed to a world without nuclear weapons, in accordance with the objectives of the NPT, and advocates for a gradual and pragmatic process of nuclear disarmament based on a step-by-step approach’.4
Recommendations
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Romania should renounce the possession and potential use of nuclear weapons on its behalf, and ensure that nuclear weapons do not have a role in its defence posture.
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Romania should comply with its existing obligation under Article VI of the NPT and pursue negotiations in good faith on nuclear disarmament.
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Romania should urgently adhere to the TPNW. Until it is in a position to do so, it should welcome the TPNW as a valuable component in the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, work with the Treaty's states parties on practical steps towards disarmament, and attend the meetings of states parties as an observer.