Romania and Brexit
Michel Barnier, the European Commissions Chief Negotiator for Brexit, has visited Romania.
Roxana Vasile, 06.10.2016, 13:45
On October 1st, Michel Barnier took over the position of Chief Negotiator in charge of leading the Commission Taskforce for the Preparation and Conduct of the Negotiations with the United Kingdom over the latter’s leaving the Union. The separation is very likely to be extremely complicated and painful, occurring at a time when the European Union is going through some of the toughest moments ever. First, Michel Barnier, a veteran employee with Brussels institutions, wants to see the opinions of all the 27 members states concerning Brexit.
After visiting his native country, France, then Germany and the Netherlands, on Wednesday the Chief Negotiator came to Romania for talks with Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, who used to be his colleague, back when Ciolos was a European Commissioner himself. Also, Barnier held talks with Romania’s Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu. Bucharest wants the Brexit negotiations to be conducted so as to include all parties and to reflect the common vision of all the 27 members and of the European institutions regarding the items under negotiation. This is the message conveyed by Dacian Ciolos during the meeting with Michel Barnier.
What is important is that in the first half of the year 2019, Romania will hold the presidency of the EU council, exactly when the Brexit negotiations will be in the final stage. Therefore, the burden on Romania’s shoulders will be quite heavy. From Brussels’s point of view, any negotiation is out of the question at the moment, as long as London does not activate article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, regulating the exit from the EU, which is due to happen next spring. Subsequently, the Brexit Chief Negotiator would focus his talks in London on three major issues: removing Great Britain from the EU’s budget, foreign trade and policy, and also the single market, which also covers the very sensitive issue of the free movement of the labour force, which is one of the fundamental principles of the EU. Referring to this last issue, Romania has already announced that it will make no compromise.
Bucharest has voiced no other opinion on Brexit, but the official message is that Bucharest has, and wishes to have in the future as well, a special partnership with Great Britain. This is exactly what Michel Barnier claims to want as well. A convinced supporter of the EU, Barnier is known in the Euro-skeptical circles in London as an anti-Brit. However, although he expects tough negotiations with the United Kingdom, he has no intention of starting a war. In his vision, Europe and Great Britain have common interests, especially with regard to security and defense, where a strong bilateral cooperation is needed.
(Translated by Mihaela Ignatescu)
