Romania prepares for its first EU Council presidency

Romania's taking over the EU Council presidency in the first half of 2019 is a challenge and a first for this country, as well as an opportunity

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Daniela Budu, 04.05.2017, 13:09

Romania has
started making preparations for its first EU Council presidency in the first
six months of 2019. The government in Bucharest has established a national
council for the preparation and exercise of Romania’s EU Council presidency, an
action plan has been adopted and the foreign ministry has set up a special unit
to work on this project. At a debate held on Wednesday by the foreign ministry,
the participants assessed the context in which Romania will carry out its term,
which will see new European Parliament elections, the UK’s leaving the European Union and
negotiations on the next multi-annual financial framework. The Minister
Delegate for European Affairs Ana Birchall said the presidency of the European
Union was a national project for Romania.

Ana Birchall: We will have to ensure a professional management and demonstrate our ability
to propose compromise solutions that are acceptable for the member states and
the Union’s institutions. We will have the opportunity to demonstrate our
support for the European values and contribute directly to the consolidation
process.

The Eastern
Partnership and the organisation of a summit in Romania, the Danube strategy
and migration to the European Union are some of the issues Romania must cover
during its presidency, said foreign minister Teodor Melescanu. He also pointed
out that there are logistical problems related to the taking over of the rotating
presidency, which would require the support of a number of state institutions,
given that Romania will have to host hundreds of meetings, which is also an
opportunity to promote the country’s political vision on the future of Europe.

Prime minister Sorin Grindeanu too believes Romania has the opportunity to come
with a new, dynamic approach that could help relaunch the European project
during its EU Council presidency. According to the senate speaker Calin Popescu
Tariceanu, Romania will benefit from more exposure during its 6-month
presidency and must demonstrate that it is creative, energetic, modern and
pro-European.

Calin Popescu Tariceanu: Let us not forget that we are the seventh biggest country in the European
Union so we must try to give our presidency a dimension that befits our country
– we should neither try to be more than what we are and try to impress, nor see
ourselves smaller than we are in reality.

The debate in Bucharest was also attended by the
ambassadors of Finland and Croatia, which will take over the EU rotating
presidency after Romania.