Romania and the single market
Romania’s president Nicușor Dan spoke to the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, in the run-up to the European Council of 19th and 20th March.
Daniela Budu, 10.03.2026, 14:00
President Nicuşor Dan on Monday told the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, that Romania wants a fully integrated single market, as well as a significant simplification of bureaucracy and the administrative burden. He had a telephone conversation with the President of the European Council in which they discussed Bucharest’s priorities and the major topics of interest for Romania in the run-up to the meeting of European leaders to be held between 19 and 20 March in Brussels. The summit is expected to focus on the next multiannual financial framework, competitiveness and the single market, and European defence and security in the context of the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. In fact, the discussion between the Romanian president and the EU official took place the day before the meeting of the Friends of Competitiveness group of European states, to coordinate on matters of internal market and competitiveness, also in preparation of the European Council summit.
According to the Romanian president, the talks with Antonio Costa focused on topics related to competitiveness and the single market, the transition to green energy, the European Union budget and the revitalisation of the European industry. “Energy remains an essential priority for Romania – particularly in the context of ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the importance of reducing the European Union’s dependence on fossil fuel imports has never been higher”, Nicuşor Dan posted on a social network, after the conversation with the European official. “Our green energy transition must proceed at a pace and within a framework that safeguards the competitiveness of European and Romanian companies”, he added. Another topic tackled during the talks with Antonio Costa was the future EU budget framework. According to the Romanian president, “the EU budget must provide relevant funds for increasing competitiveness, including in the area of the eastern states, of which our country is part, nations that have a historical gap compared to the level of development of the other member states”. Finally, he welcomed “the increased focus of European decision-making towards supporting investments that deliver a resilient energy system capable of withstanding external shocks”.
The European Council met on February 12 in an informal meeting and a restricted format to discuss advancing the single market, reducing economic dependencies and stimulating EU competitiveness in a new geostrategic context. At that time, the Romanian president said, ”The Commission pledges to come up proposals related to setting the energy price, one of the priorities being lowering the price of energy, which is linked to the competitiveness of businesses”. According to the European Commission, the single market is one of the most important achievements of the European Union, guaranteeing the free movement of goods, capital, services and labour. Its goal is to create an economic area without borders. It currently brings together about 450 million people and 26 million enterprises.
