Romania takes over the presidency of the GAC

Romania has officially taken over the presidency of the General Affairs Council of the European Union

Daniela Budu, 12.12.2018, 12:52

On Tuesday, Romania took over the presidency of the General Affairs Council of the European Union. The office was taken over by the Minister Delegate for European Affairs, George Ciamba, at the end of a meeting with his counterparts, held in Brussels. Special attention was paid at the meeting to the 2021-2027 multi-annul financial framework, in preparation for the debates to be held by the European leaders at the European Council due on December 13-14.

In his speech, George Ciamba appreciated the efforts made by the Austrian presidency with regard to this file. At the same time, he stressed the fact that Romania was ready to maintain the same pace of discussion, which should lead to consistent progress during its term. Also, the Romanian official stressed the need for an ambitious but also balanced budget, to reflect both support for growth and convergence objectives, and the need for an effective response to the current challenges. The substantial progress of negotiations on this matter largely depends on the constructive commitment of all the member states and European institutions, George Ciamba also said.

Also in preparation for the meeting of the European Council, the European Affairs ministers approached other topics on the European leaders agenda, in particular the Internal Market, migration, the Economic and Monetary Union and the EUs external relations. As regards the agenda of the European Council, the Romanian minister George Ciamba stressed the importance of the European Councils strong support for strengthening the Internal Market. Also, he highlighted the principles underlying the formulation of a post 2020 vision of the Common Market. They include the upholding of fundamental rights, the elimination of barriers and boosting the capacity to respond to digital threats.

The need to carry on efforts to ensure a comprehensive approach to migration was also stressed by minister Ciamba, who mentioned Romanias availability to carry on the efforts made by the previous presidencies in this matter. Also, he stressed the importance of talks on the recent developments in the Sea of Azov, and on the measures taken to combat disinformation. The latter aspect is a priority on the agenda of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU, which Romania is holding in the first half of next year.