EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in Bucharest

The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker travelled to Bucharest on Thursday.

Florentin Căpitănescu, 12.05.2017, 13:18

On his first visit to Romania as president of the
European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker had a very busy agenda. He addressed the
Bucharest Parliament, met the head of state Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister
Sorin Grindeanu and took part in a dialogue with citizens on the future of
Europe, alongside the European Commissioner for Regional Development Corina
Cretu.

Romania’s joining the Schengen agreement, the
termination of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, by means of which
the Commission has been monitoring the Romanian justice system ever since the
accession to the EU in 2007, the fight against corruption and the absorption of
European funds were among the main topics tackled by the European official.

Romania must be part of the Schengen area, because it
has met all the necessary criteria, Juncker said. Accession should take place
by early 2019, when Romania takes over the 6-month presidency of the EU
Council, said the EC President. He also added that the Cooperation and
Verification Mechanism must be terminated by that time, because Romania has
made significant progress in the past ten years with regard to reforming its
judiciary and fighting corruption. One cannot preside the EU while having the
impression that one is being controlled and watched by the others, Juncker
said. However, he warned that lifting the Mechanism would not mark the end of
reforms, but would translate into enhanced cooperation. We count on the speed
and effectiveness of the Romanian authorities, Parliament in particular, in
guaranteeing the irreversibility of the programmes developed in the field of the
judiciary, Juncker told Romania’s Parliament. He also said citizens’ trust can
only be gained by observing the independence of the judiciary and the
separation of powers.

As regards corruption, the President of the European
Commission stated that this scourge must be eradicated. In another move,
Jean-Claude Juncker gave assurances that Romania can count on the Commission’s
unconditional support with regard to attracting EU funds. It’s quite clear,
Juncker said, that Bucharest must focus more on absorbing these funds. The idea
of a multi-speed Europe, a concept firmly rejected by the Bucharest
authorities, Brexit and the EU’s relations with Russia were some of the other
issues approached by the EC President during his visit to Romania.