Prime Minister Ludovic Orban in Brussels
Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban this past Tuesday, the first day of his working visit to Brussels, held talks with several high-ranking EU officials
Mihai Pelin, 08.01.2020, 14:50
Romania’s Liberal Prime Minister Ludovic Orban was sworn in in November 2019. As part of his first official visit to Brussels, Orban held talks with several high-ranking European officials, among whom European Council president Charles Michlef and the Union’s Chief Negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier. Orban’s talks agenda with the president of the European Council targeted the importance of promoting the European Union’s strategic policy focusing on the construction of a green and equitable Europe, which should also be neutral as regards the impact on climate change. By the same token, in the new Europe, citizens’ rights and freedoms should be protected. With respect to the challenges the European Union has to face, a balanced solution is required, a solution that should perfectly tie in with the interests of the European citizens, according to Prime Minister Orban. As part of the talks with the Union’s Chief Negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier, one of the topics was the situation of Romanian citizens in Great Britain.
Ludovic Orban:
For the Romanians working there, as we speak, their rights are practically guaranteed, the agreement includes stipulations guaranteeing their rights. For the European citizens who will go to Great Britain post- Brexit, there is no such thing as a system of regulations after Brexit and further talks will tackle the ensuing regulations after Great Britain will have pulled out of the European Union.
According to the Romanian official, the future partnership with Great Britain will have to be an ambitious and a balanced one. Such a partnership must take into account the implications that go beyond the trade and economic framework. As part of the talks he held with the EU high-ranking officials, Ludovic Orban avowedly emphasized the need for a strong cohesion-steered financing policy, capable of enabling Romania to have a progress pace that should equal that of EU member states. Prime Minister Orban also made mention of a consistent financing for the agricultural policy.
Convergence was also made certain for us as regards direct payments per hectare, which includes bringing the subsidy per hectare, as it is known to Romanian farmers, in line with the average European level as much as possible.
The situation in the neighboring Republic of Moldova was another issue that was broached during Orban’s talks with the officials in Brussels.
Ludovic Orban:
As regards the position we have conveyed during the talks we held with the enlargement commissioner but also with other European officials, we clearly stated we need to be extremely cautious and demanding as we watch what is going on in the Republic of Moldova and in effect, unless commitments are honored with respect to the country’s European integration efforts, the European Union, the European Commission must act accordingly.
This coming Thursday, which is Ludovic Orban’s last day as part of his official visit to the European Union, the Romanian Prime Minister will hold talks with the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
(Translated by Eugen Nasta).
