Romania's SRI and US TSA sign memorandum on civil aviation security

The memorandum

Romania's Serviciul Român de Informații (SRI) and the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) signed a memorandum in Bucharest on Monday, 2 November. The document allows the two agencies to cooperate and exchange information relevant to civil aviation security in both countries. TSA operates under the US Department of Homeland Security and is tasked with protecting the national transport system. Both institutions announced the signing the same day.

Who signed

For TSA, the memorandum was signed by US Ambassador to Bucharest Darryl Nirenberg. For the SRI, the signatory was interim director General Răzvan Ionescu, who signed at a ceremony. Ionescu called the SRI's relationship with US agencies particularly valuable, citing information exchange and joint operational, analytical and training activities. He said that relationship obliges the service to maintain a high level of quality and professionalism. Both institutions described the signing in Facebook posts, and the SRI's account was also issued as a press release.

The ambassador's view

Nirenberg presented the agreement as a step in ongoing joint work on aviation security between Romania and the United States. He tied the memorandum to the safety of travellers.

“This Memorandum strengthens cooperation between our countries, deepens the exchange of experience and good practices and intensifies our joint commitment to the safety of our travellers.”

What TSA does

TSA was created after the attacks of 11 September 2001, and its main task is airport security and preventing aircraft hijackings. The agency screens passengers and baggage at more than 450 US airports. It also coordinates security measures for other transport modes, including railways, bus networks, ports and pipelines. TSA employs more than 47,000 people and had an annual budget of about $9.7 billion, according to data for fiscal year 2023. The memorandum therefore links a Romanian intelligence service with an agency whose remit covers airports and wider transport networks.

Scope of the agreement

The signing is described as a framework for exchanging information relevant to civil aviation security, and the reporting gives no duration for the memorandum. Ionescu described the SRI's partnership with US security structures as long-standing. Both sides framed the document as a way to deepen existing exchanges rather than start new ones.