Prime Minister Viorica Dancila stated on Thursday that she is disappointed with the conclusions of the report regarding the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM), taking into account that Romania proved to be a loyal and fair partner of the European Union. “I am disappointed with the conclusions of the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism report, taking into account that Romania proved to be a loyal and fair partner of the European Union. The Government has always been in touch with experts of the European Commission and provided clarifications every time, as well as arguments. Unfortunately, I noticed that these were simply ignored. We cannot agree with the setting of some additional recommendations requiring us to ignore the constitutional rules and accept what no other member state would accept. Such a request makes it impossible to achieve the objectives of the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism, taking into account that the rules are being changed as we go along,” Dancila stated in the beginning of the Gov’t sitting. The PM mentioned having read the report very carefully. “We are aware of the objectives included there, but, at the same time, we see recommendations that require us to ignore legal provisions, instituted through the vote of Parliament and validated by the Constitutional Court, which represents a serious prejudice to sovereignty and a violation of the European Union Treaty. As Prime Minister and former MEP, I request equal treatment for my country and for Romanians. I believe in an united Europe, in which all citizens enjoy respect, as well as equal rights,” Dancila stated. “EP resolution is an expression of some electoral interests of European political groups” The resolution of the European Parliament regarding Romania is “the expression of some electoral interests of European political groups,” Prime Minister Viorica Dancila stated on Thursday. “We are able to prove to our European partners that Romania is a balanced, responsible member state, determined to contribute to the formation of the future of the European Union, regardless of the purely political approaches at one time or another. The European Parliament vote on Tuesday is such a moment and I assure you that we will not stray away from our objectives. I believe that the European Parliament resolution is the expression of some electoral interests of European political groups,” PM Dancila stated in the beginning of the Government sitting. The Executive head mentioned, taking into account that there are several points, that the vote “wasn’t about Romania or about righteousness.” “I am referring here to the rejection of the explicit condemnation amendments of the protocols between the intelligence services and the institutions of the judicial system, taking into account that such practices are unacceptable in another member state of the European Union. It is difficult to understand the crucifiction of the Romanian Gendarmerie for their intervention manner, which was identical to that of the law enforcement of other member states,” Dancila stated. According to the PM, “the hardest thing to explain is the vote of some Romanian MEPs against Romania.” “I am convinced that this attitude will be sanctioned by the Romanians. I saw that they said they voted against Romania’s Government. The resolution was not against Romania’s Government, nor against another institution, the resolution referred to Romania. Regarding this issue, I would ask those who talk about Romania’s withdrawal from the European Union to show more responsibility. Staying within the European Union is our only way and our membership to the European Union was never in question. Personal interests or those of some political groups cannot be tied to the status of Romania as a member state of the European Union,” Dancila also stated
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The newly appointed Minister-delegate for European Affairs George Ciamba, who took office on Wednesday, has given assurances that Romania will meet its commitments, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) reported on Thursday. Ciamba took over the coordination of the entire process of preparation for Romania’s assuming the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2019. He underscored “the importance of assuming the presidency of the Council of the EU and gave assurances that Romania will meet its commitments made and act as a European partner for the consolidation of the European project.” Ciamba said the MAE team he runs has the resources and the ability to secure a successful EU Council presidency in the first half of next year. He pointed out that mobilising all the efforts to meet the stated objectives enjoys the support of all decision-makers at national level.
Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis and his wife Carmen attended on Wednesday a dinner at Buckingham Palace that celebrated Prince Charles’s 70th birth anniversary. Iohannis presented Prince Charles with a glass icon depicting the Great Holy Martyr George, the Dragon Slayer, a collection of representative wines from the three historical regions of Romania – Moldova, Muntenia and Transylvania, and also a 1948 vintage wine from the year when the Prince of Wales was born. The head of state attended this event at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Iohannis started an official visit to the UK durinh which it was scheduled to meet British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday, but the meeting did not take place “for objective reasons exclusively attributable to the British side,” according to the Presidential Administration. The meeting between the two officials had been scheduled for Wednesday at the request of May, and the reason why it did not happen had to do with the fact that the government meeting to approve the text of the UK withdrawal agreement was still in progress, Agerpres informs. File photo
Prime Minister Viorica Dancila welcomed on Wednesday at the Victoria Palace Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe (CoE) Dunja Mijatovic, whom she tackled with the situation of people with disabilities and the fight against domestic violence. According to a release of the Government, Commissioner Dunja Mijatovic is paying her first visit to Romania since taking over the Commissioner mandate on 1 April. “Expressing her satisfaction with the fact that the current Human Rights Commissioner is a woman, for the first time since the office was created and, in addition, she represents a state from Romania’s southern vicinity, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila thanked for the visit, the first one that the high official paid to our country, after the election in the Human Rights Commissioner office,” the release says. The discussions also aimed at aspects regarding the cooperation between Romania and the Council of Europe, with an emphasis on strengthening protection and promoting human rights. The two officials exchanged views regarding the topic of persons with disabilities, including education for children with disabilities, fighting domestic violence, respectively, the Gov’t release mentions. Moreover, the PM underscored that Romania’s accession to the Council of Europe in 1993, which also preceded and prepared the accession to NATO and the European Union, represented in the first place a pillar for the democratic transition and the construction of the rule of law in our country, the release mentions. Furthermore, also reviewed were the main topics that are subjected to the Government’s close attention, including from an institutional point of view, namely the protection of persons belonging to vulnerable categories, children and women, the rights of persons belonging to minorities, persons with disabilities, as well as the freedom of the media. “The PM showed that the woman’s rights will represent a priority of the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council in 2019 by the promotion of gender equality, but also the fight against domestic violence,” the Gov’t release mentions. Moreover, Dancila hailed the efforts of the Human Rights Commissioner to fight the phenomena that are developing in Europe regarding the speech inciting to hatred and intolerance.
President Klaus Iohannis has told the members of the Dancila Cabinet, present at the swearing-in ceremony for Minister Delegate George Ciamba, that a reasonable preparation of the Council of the EU presidency is still possible. The statement comes after the President recently said that Romania is not ready. “I wish you good luck in this regard. It’s one second to midnight for a reasonable preparation of the presidency of the Council of the EU and I believe it’s still possible,” President Klaus Iohannis told Premier Viorica Dancila and the other members of Government present at the ceremony in which George Ciamba was sworn in as Minister Delegate for European Affairs, following Victor Negrescu’s resignation last Friday. According to information provided by the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s website, George Ciamba has been working within that ministry since December 1990. He became secretary of state in November 2012. Prior to being appointed secretary of state for European Affairs, George Ciamba was Romanian ambassador to the Republic of Greece (2005-2012). In February 2016, he was released from the office of secretary of state and was then reappointed in January 2017. The President signed on Tuesday the decree appointing Ciamba in office, shortly after Premier Viorica Dancila’s nomination reached the Cotroceni Palace. Klaus Iohannis announced on Tuesday, several hours before signing the decree, that he will take a quick decision regarding the nomination for the European Affairs portfolio. “Several weeks ago, they were making a ruckus with the Government reshuffle. I see now that a bit-by-bit reshuffle is taking place, namely they should go one by one. It seems I’ll receive two nominations, one of which will be analysed very quickly. I’m talking about the Minister Delegate for European Affairs, we are nevertheless getting ready to take over the presidency of the Council of the EU. I don’t know why Mr Negrescu resigned, what’s certain is that we don’t have a minister on the eve of the presidency. The nomination made seems to be one that I’ll read in a positive note. I’ve collaborated very well with Mr Ciamba so far and I believe it’s important that I issue a resolution for this nomination, for us to finally move,” Klaus Iohannis stated at the Cotroceni Palace. President Klaus Iohannis stated on Monday that Romania is not ready to take over the Council of the European Union, considering that the responsible Government members are being replaced or are leaving and “things have gone haywire.” “I must point out a great worry I have, even though it does not concern you directly. It’s about 2019, the year when Romania takes over the presidency of the Council of the EU, an extremely honouring and demanding position, especially for the Government. I believe we’re not ready for this. Several weeks ago, I said we’ll live up to it reasonably, it’s just that things have gone haywire in the meantime, it’s no longer clear at the Government who the responsible persons are, the persons who should deal with this are resigning or are being dismissed from office. I believe that even now, at the last moment, the political need is to replace the Dragnea-Dancila Government, this accident of Romanian democracy. There is no outlook for good governance and involvement in European affairs. These things are very grave,” Klaus Iohannis stated. Premier Viorica Dancila stated on Tuesday, for Antena3, that the President has made a personal obsession out of toppling the current Cabinet. “The President has made a personal obsession out of toppling the current Cabinet. I have the conviction that the Government will survive, because it’s the Government of Romania. (…) By making such statements, by wanting to topple the Government, Mr Iohannis does a profound disservice to Romania. I’m the supporter of good cooperation, but I’m forced to firmly condemn such an attitude. I wonder what the President wants. Anarchy? Instability? Because I believe this is the effect when you promote such statements,” Viorica Dancila stated for Antena3. “Prime Minister’s Hour” postponed, Dancila chooses Cotroceni Palace, for Ciamba’s swearing-in, over the Palace of Parliament The members of the House Standing Bureau have postponed the “Prime Minister’s Hour” meeting during which two sensitive topics regarding the EU criticism levelled against Romania would have been debated, in order to allow Viorica Dancila to attend the swearing-in of George Ciamba at the Cotroceni Palace. The House Standing Bureau took the decision to postpone the “Prime Minister’s Hour” for a later date which will be established by the leadership of the House. Finnish PM expresses his country’s readiness to take over the presidency of the Council of the EU against the backdrop of political tensions in Bucharest, however Romanian officials say Romania can undertake this task Finnish Premier Juha Sipila expressed on Monday evening his country’s readiness to take over the presidency of the Council of the EU, considering the political tensions in Bucharest, however Romanian officials have said that Romania can undertake this task in line with the schedule already established. Finland is set to take over the presidency of the Council in July 2019. His conclusion was that the political tensions in Bucharest will not affect the timetable of taking over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. Sipila told Finland’s STT agency on Tuesday that Romania does not intend to postpone the taking over of the presidency of the EU, scheduled to start on 1 January 2019 and to be followed by Finland’s presidency in July. The Finnish press quotes Klaus Iohannis’s statement according to which “the situation has worsened” and that there is “a political need to replace the Government,” which he called “an accident of Romanian democracy.” “We are in the eleventh hour and we’re unprepared. There is no chance of a good Government or of proper involvement in European affairs,” Iohannis stated, the statement being quoted by Finnish journalists. Consequently, Sipila stated on Monday evening that the Finnish Government has prepared for a potential request on the part of Bucharest to…
Romania’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ion Jinga, as head of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), co-chaired in New York a joint session of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and PBC. The event was dedicated to connections between climate change and the consolidation and permanence of peace in the Sahel, Romania’s permanent mission to the United Nations reported in a press statement on Tuesday. Jinga welcomed the joint decision to discuss the situation in the Sahel in terms of the impact of climate change on peace and security in the region, as it faces multidimensional risks and urgently needs integrated co-ordination, analysis and support from the world community. Emphasising that “the effects of climate change such as desertification, drought, floods, food insecurity threaten future generations and development,” the diplomat said that ECOSOC and PBC can support the Sahel through political co-ordination and coherence, build partnerships, mobilise resources and encourage leadership and national efforts. “Under their mandates, ECOSOC and PBC can provide expertise and support, working together and in complementarity, promoting national and regional accountability and supporting local initiatives,” he said. In formulating the conclusions of the meeting, Jinga pointed out that climate change is among the priorities of the UN agenda and that addressing the root causes of conflicts requires coherent action involving the entire institutional system of the organisation. “Sustainable peace cannot exist without sustainable development, and for that the Sahel countries need development investment. They also need sustainable support from the world community to build peace and combat violent extremism, build resilient societies and combat climate change,” Jinga said. The initiative of the theme belonged to the Romanian presidency of the PBC, being accepted by consensus by all member states of ECOSOC and PBC. ECOSOC resolution 2009/32, as well as resolutions A/RES/70/262 and S/RES/2282 (2016) adopted by the Security Council and the UN General Assembly on Peacebuilding Architecture Review, call for closer cooperation and greater coherence between ECOSOC and PBC. The joint meeting of the two bodies took place after the annual PBC session dedicated to the Sahel region, which was held on Monday, under the Romanian presidency.
The meeting between President Klaus Iohannis and British PM Theresa May, scheduled for Wednesday, has been cancelled at the request of the British PM, the Romanian Presidency informs. “We inform you that the meeting between Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Ms Theresa May, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, scheduled for 14 November 2018, has been cancelled at the request of the British Premier, due to objective reasons pertaining exclusively to the British side, considering that the Government meeting for the approval of the text of the agreement on United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union is still ongoing,” the Presidency pointed out. President Klaus Iohannis should have met Premier Theresa May at 5.30 p.m. Romanian time. During their meeting, the two would have tackled topics such as the stage of the Brexit negotiations and the presidency of the Council of the EU. According to the Head of State’s official agenda, at 9.45 p.m. Romanian time, Klaus Iohannis will take part, at the Buckingham Palace in London, in the event dedicated to the 70th anniversary of His Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales.
The Romanian Ambassador in Paris, Luca Niculescu (photo L), announced on Saturday that starting with November 27, in over 100 cities in Romania and France approximately 500 events in all domains are to be organized, on the occasion of the Centennial. “We are in the Centennial Year that we will celebrate, in France, in a special way in a common season, which is probably the most important bilateral manifestation ever organized by our countries. There will be approximately 500 events in all domains, organized in over 100 cities in France and Romania, which will start on November 27, and will end next year on July 14”, said Luca Niculescu, at the Romanian Embassy in Paris, at an event dedicated to the Romanian contribution to the development of science and technology in the year of the Centennial of the Greater Union, also attended by President Klaus Iohannis. The Romanian diplomat reminded that the idea for this project appeared on the occasion of the visit of President Klaus Iohannis in February 2015. At the event on Saturday at the Romanian Embassy in France, the young researchers presented an app that signals different tourist objectives in Paris associated with remarkable personalities of Romanian culture, such as Constantin Brancusi, Henri Coanda, Mircea Eliade, Emil Cioran, Monica Lovinescu. The event was also attended by Professor Gerard Mourou (photo R) , a Nobel Prize laureate this year in the realm of physics. 
Minister Delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu resigned on Friday. The information appeared via governmental sources and was subsequently confirmed on Saturday by European Funds Minister Rovana Plumb. “From what I understand, this resignation has taken place. During the Government meeting yesterday, I talked with Mr Negrescu, there were principled discussions about the manner in which we are ready for the presidency of the Council of the EU,” Rovana Plumb said. The discussion that took place during the Government meeting was evoked by Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici too. “Yesterday [Friday], at the end of the Government meeting, there was a discussion regarding the final stages, the measures that must be taken for us to be entirely ready for next year’s presidency. An open discussion, naturally, as it should be in a team, concerning Mr Negrescu’s participation in maybe a higher number of such meetings alongside the ministers of Finance and European Grants, as is normal, because this is the structure, that’s how the discussions are. “That was the discussion. Unfortunately, I see Mr Negrescu took it personally, and is proving that he doesn’t understand what a team means, working as a team, especially when we’re talking about next year’s presidency. There were discussions before too and it’s normal for discussions to take place. This discussion took place and I saw on the news that he resigned, and I’m really surprised because its role was to prove he is a mediator and the atmosphere is ‘I’m upset, I pick up my toys and leave.’ “Nevertheless, it’s a gesture that, on the threshold of the presidency and especially on the threshold of certain actions next week – there were some meetings at Strasbourg, Brussels, at the level of ministers, and now that’s that,” Teodorovici stated for Antena3.   Reactions   Opposition’s reaction to the resignation of minister handling the preparations for the taking over of the rotational presidency of the Council of the EU: The recipe for disaster is now complete   Save Romania Union (USR) Cristian Ghinea stated on Saturday, following Minister Delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu’s resignation, that “the recipe for disaster is now complete.” “Victor Negrescu, the one responsible with preparing the taking over of the presidency of the Council of the EU, has suddenly resigned today. There are only two months left before the taking over of the presidency. Rovana Plumb assures us that everything is well prepared and that, at any rate, Viorica Dancila is making sure everything will go well. The recipe for disaster is now complete,” Cristian Ghinea wrote on Facebook. Ponta: Victor Negrescu is one of the few ministers actually well-trained for his office   Ex-Premier Victor Ponta claims that Victor Negrescu is one of the few current ministers actually well-trained for his office, having good connections at European level and being one of the last true Social Democrats within PSD’s current leadership. “The gravest thing is that Victor Negrescu is the minister who worked on preparing Romania to take over the six-month presidency of the Council of the EU on January 1st – what message do we convey to Brussels through his resignation? And on Tuesday the European Parliament will approve an extremely negative resolution on Romania – followed by the European Commission Report on the CVM (just as negative)!”, Victor Ponta wrote on his Facebook page. In his opinion, “it seems someone actually plans to drive us out of the European Union.”   Tomac: Minister Negrescu’s resignation proves that Dancila Gov’t is not ready to take over the rotational presidency of the EU. Mr Orban, Mr Barna, let’s table the no-confidence motion already!   Popular Movement Party (PMP) Eugen Tomac states that Minister Negrescu’s resignation proves that the Dancila Government is not ready to take over the rotational presidency of the EU, and asks PNL and USR to join the PMP in tabling the no-confidence motion. “The 2019 minister has resigned. President Orban, President Barna, the minister responsible with preparing the Presidency of the Council of the European Union that starts on January 1st has resigned. Minister Negrescu’s resignation proves that the Dancila Government is not ready to take over the rotational Presidency of the EU. Let’s table the no-confidence motion already! If not now, then when and over what?”, Eugen Tomac wrote on his Facebook page. Victor Negrescu comes up with clarifications : Process of preparing Romania’s presidency of the Council of the EU is on schedule. I’d voluntarily work for Romania on such an important project if this was wanted   Victor Negrescu, the Minister Delegate for European Affairs who tendered his resignation on Friday, made several statements on Sunday, while waiting for the discussions within the party, stating that the process of preparing Romania’s presidency of the Council of the EU is on schedule and he would voluntarily work for Romania on such an important project if that was wanted. “While waiting for the talks within the party, I hereby point out the three objectives I proposed at the start of my mandate as Minister Delegate for European Affairs: political and national consensus on European Affairs and on the mandate of Romania’s presidency of the Council of the European Union (objective attained through the unanimous approval of our priorities within the Romanian Parliament’s relevant committees, but also through the approval of the strategic orientation document at the level of Government, with 25 endorsements. More precisely, teamwork and good collaboration with everyone.); democratising and transparentising access to European information (objective attained via the public consultations on the future of the EU held across the country. More precisely, everything was transparent and the talks with the people were essential.); a new attitude in the field of European affairs (objective attained by creating the Romania-Germany-France trio and taking over the Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. More precisely, the country’s prestige was defended where I was able to contribute.),” Victor Negrescu wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday. He says that the most important thing is…