The European defence industry is prepared to strengthen its industrial capacity and invest in strategic markets such as Romania, according to Stefano Pontecorvo, CEO of Leonardo. In an interview with Calea Europeană, Pontecorvo emphasized that Europe has the necessary technological expertise but must further develop its industrial capabilities to meet growing defence needs.
”The European industry needs to stand up, and European policymakers need to help the European industry stand up, take its rightful place and start producing the excellent equipment that it knows how to produce”, said Pontecorvo. ”We need a bit more of industrial capacity, but we’re getting there. We know where we have to go. We’ve been there already. Once we know where we have to go, we just need to get there”, he added.
Leonardo, a key player in Aerospace, Defence & Security, is already well-established in Romania through Leonardo Romania Aerospace, Defence & Security SA. With a production facility in Ploiești covering 25,000 sqm and employing 160 people, the company has been manufacturing since 2004 telecommunications equipment, control panels, and military systems for NATO applications.
When asked about Leonardo’s plans for Romania and the Eastern European region, Pontecorvo confirmed the company’s expansion strategy.
”We have plans for everybody. We have a lot of companies we work with in Romania. Not only Romania, but Bulgaria, and all the Eastern European region. We are looking to expand by acquisitions, we are looking to expand our supply chain, we are looking to grow as a company.”
As European leaders push for a more self-sufficient and resilient defence industry, companies like Leonardo are poised to increase investments in production capacity and supply chains. With Romania being a key NATO ally and a regional security hub, the country stands to benefit from Leonardo’s plans to scale up its presence and technological capabilities.
Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo was appointed Chairman of Leonardo S.p.a. on 9 May 2023.
Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo has been an Italian diplomat and a European and international official for about forty years. He was formerly Italian Ambassador to Pakistan and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Italian Embassies in Moscow and London. He served in the Italian Representation Offices to the European Union (where he was Head of the Balkans Desk in the Common Foreign and Security Policy) and to NATO. He was also the Director of the Stability Pact for the Balkans.
He held various positions in the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Head of the Financial Office of the Directorate General for Development Cooperation and Chief of Staff of three deputy Secretaries General and/or deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs; he was later the Deputy Director General for Africa.
In the Ministry of Defence, he held the role of Diplomatic Advisor for Ministers Di Paola, Mauro and Pinotti.
Ambassador Pontecorvo was the last NATO Senior Civilian Representative for Afghanistan from June 2020, representing the Alliance in the Doha peace talks.
He is the author of the book L’Ultimo Aereo da Kabul (The Last Flight from Kabul), published by Piemme – Mondadori, and a columnist for the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. He has published articles in numerous magazines, including Eastwest, Prima Comunicazione and Mondo Operaio. He is a television commentator for Italian and international television channels (BBC, Al Jazeera, Sky Arabia, TRT World, Al Ghad, El-Qahera, Asharq News). He has taught bachelor and master university degree classes. As Senior Advisor for climate change in the Somali Government, he took part in the Cop 27 summit held in Sharm El Sheikh.
Member of the Corporate Governance Committee (set up by ABI, ANIA, Assogestioni, Assonime, Borsa Italiana and Confindustria) since December 2023, Ambassador Pontecorvo is Commendatore dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic) and Cavaliere di Merito del Sacro Ordine Militare Costantiniano di San Giorgio (Knight of Merit of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George). Moreover, he has been awarded NATO’s Meritorious Medal for Outstanding Service and the 2022 Amato Lamberti Prize for Social Responsibility.
