Romania takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union
The rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union will be held, for the first time, by Romania
Bogdan Matei, 31.12.2018, 10:54
Romania, which joined the community bloc on January 1, 2007, will hold for the first time the half-yearly rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which it will take over from Austria and hand over to Finland. The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, has recalled that during this time span, Brexit will have to be officially managed, in March. The main guidelines for the 2021-2027 financial framework will also be set and a coherent strategy on migration will be drafted. A total number of 257 files will be debated in four months alone, because the campaign for the European Parliamentary elections starts in May. One of the key actors with respect to the Presidency file, the minister delegate for European Affairs, George Ciamba, has explained, on Radio Romania, that Bucharest wants to create a budget negotiation framework.
George Ciamba: “What we are actually receiving from the Austrian Presidency now is only an inventory of all problems and related issues that can emerge and others that the Member Countries would like to include in various sets of policies, including the set regarding allocations.”
In turn, the Romanian Foreign Minister, Teodor Meleşcanu, has announced in an exclusive interview on Radio Romania, that he would like the Black Sea area to become a priority area for the European Union, too, just as it is for NATO.
Teodor Meleşcanu: “One of our main preoccupations during Romania’s tenure will be to come up with proposals on boosting cooperation in the Black Sea area in general as well as confidence among the Member Countries, promoting tourism, enhancing interconnectivity in the field of energy, as well as the EU’s direct cooperation with regional structures. We would like the EU to get more involved in these regional formats.”
The official site of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union has already been officially launched. The page, available in Romanian, English and French at romania2019.eu, contains useful information for journalists, experts on European affairs and the public at large. The timetable of the Romanian Presidency will be posted on this website after December 15. On Saturday, ministers Meleşcanu and Ciamba issued a joint declaration saying that holding the presidency is not an internal fighting instrument, but a major country and European project.
The declaration was made following public debates stirred by a recent statement made by the EC President Jean Claude Juncker, who said he has doubts that the left-of centre government in Romania fully understands what it means to lead the community bloc. Juncker said however that technically, Romania is ready for this mission, but the internal political dispute leaves the impression Romania is not a united entity on the European scene. Now, there are six months left for the political class in Bucharest to prove the contrary.
