Ooni Koda
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Newsfeed
  4. /
  5. President Iohannis: Agreement on Brexit, the best possible;...

President Iohannis: Agreement on Brexit, the best possible; non-discrimination between EU members set out in Political Declaration. I have differences of opinion with the Gov’t, but not in the field of preparing the Presidency of the Council of the EU

November 25, 2018

President Klaus Iohannis stated that the Brexit withdrawal agreement is the best possible, pointing out also that non-discrimination between the EU member states was set out in the Political Declaration, providing as example the visa-free travel for the Romanians wishing to visit afterwards. “Today, we have completed the talks in a record time. The EU-27 EU Council agreed the Withdrawal Agreement draft, endorsed the Political Declaration on future relations. These two very important documents are extremely important. The Withdrawal Agreement is to be used if it gets approved by all Parliaments involved in order to clarify in detail the aspects regarding the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, a document which is of great importance for us as well, because it is stipulated, for example, how the Romanians in the UK are to be treated, how the aspects of the Financial Framework in which we are now until 2020 are to be carried out and so many other things, a very comprehensive document, very well drafted. This is a document drawn up in one-and-a-half-year, the limits or the mandate imposed by the European Council at that time were observed very well. (…) It is the best possible Agreement and deserves to be taken as such and it deserves approval,” the head of state said after the extraordinary meeting of the European Council (Article 50) in Brussels. He underscored that little changes for the Romanians residing in the UK. “If this agreement enters into force, it protects Romanians and other Europeans living in the UK, they are guaranteed all the rights they have obtained. (…) They can work, study, get pensions, insurance. The aspects are clarified in detail and very well. We have been very concerned about these matters and we have successfully insisted up to this stage that these things be cleared very well. Moreover, we have insisted and achieved to clarify non-discrimination between EU members in the Political Declaration on the future relations. For instance, visa-free travel for the Romanians who will later travel to the UK and these things have been clarified in the way we want. This agreement is one that we find appropriate, we find it good and we want it to be approved,” Iohannis explained. The head of state also said that despite achieving a good Agreement, this day cannot be considered a happy one. “The event remains one that, I think, makes the majority of us sad if we realize its importance, a major member state leaves and that cannot be good news, but beyond this thing, the existence of an agreement would make this separation manageable and achieve a very solid legal foundation. There are further steps to take, the next step will be the approval of this withdrawal agreement in the British Parliament after which (…) the Council of the European Union must formally approve it and the European Parliament has to vote on this agreement,” Iohannis stated. He gave assurances that this Agreement will be completed during Romania’s Presidency of the Council of the EU. “I guarantee you, if it gets approved, the Romanian Presidency [of the EU Council] is to complete it,” President Iohannis stated.   “Romanians’ rights are perfectly protected if Brexit withdrawal agreement gets endorsed”   Prior to attending the extraordinary meeting of the European Council in Brussels, President Klaus Iohannis stated the draft agreement regarding the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union is a very good one for Romania, adding that in the current form, the Romanians’ rights are perfectly protected. “Today, we have only one topic on the agenda, it is the discussion on the draft Agreement on the UK’s withdrawal, the Brexit Agreement. We need to understand well what is this about. The withdrawal of UK from the European Union has two important phases: the withdrawal and the future relations that will be established afterwards. We are talking about the Withdrawal Agreement today. It is very important because without such an agreement nothing remains established between the EU and the UK. This agreement has long been negotiated in detail, by the EU 27 (…) we established a team of negotiators with a chief negotiator, Mr Barnier, a team that did a very good job. We supported them, at the same time, we took care that the points we are interested in be very well clarified in this draft agreement and, so far, I can say that we are very pleased with the draft. The draft reflects all our concerns and the fate of the Romanians in the UK, the funding of the EU budget and many, many other things. It is an agreement that has about 500 pages and our opinion is that the draft is good, it’s worth moving forward, ” President Iohannis stated ahead  the European Council in Brussels. He underscored that the Romanians’ rights “are perfectly protected” if this draft agreement gets approved. “The rights of the Romanians, if this agreement passes, are perfectly protected. (…) It is very suitable for us if this agreement comes into force,” the head of state said. The goal of the extraordinary meeting of the European Council is the endorsement of the draft Agreement on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. Moreover, members of the European Council  also discussed the political declaration on future EU-UK relations. After the draft is agreed by the leaders of the EU member states, the Brexit withdrawal agreement will be formally approved in the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament and ratified by the British Parliament.   “I have differences of opinion with the Gov’t, but not in the field of preparing the Presidency of the Council of the EU”   President Klaus Iohannis stated on Sunday, in Brussels, that even though he has several differences of opinion with the Government, Romania’s preparations for the takeover of the Presidency of the Council of the EU is not among them, pointing out that he does not intend to export internal disagreements. “Everything they do for this Presidency is much...

The post President Iohannis: Agreement on Brexit, the best possible; non-discrimination between EU members set out in Political Declaration. I have differences of opinion with the Gov’t, but not in the field of preparing the Presidency of the Council of the EU appeared first on Nine O' Clock.

Read in full - click here
EC disburses EUR 37 mln to Romania as part of its second Recovery Facility payment request 

The European Commission (EC) announced on Monday, December 23, that it disbursed payments under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to Czechia, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Romania, totaling EUR 26.8 billion in loans and grants. Under this latest disbursement, Romania received EUR 37.05 million as part of its second payment request. By comparison, according to the...

Romanian trilogy Moromeții screened at Rotterdam International Film Festival 2025

Romanian film trilogy Moromeții, directed by Stere Gulea, will be presented at the 54th edition of the Rotterdam International Film Festival, taking place from January 30 to February 9, 2025. This renowned European event, which annually presents hundreds of films across more than 20 sections, will feature the three films - Moromeții (1987), Moromeții 2 […]

Romania issued EUR 1.3 bln in state aid between 2019-2023, most to foreign companies

Romania issued state aid worth EUR 1.3 billion during 2019-2023, with 62% of the projects being granted to foreign companies, according to an analysis conducted by EY Romania. The sectors that benefited the most from aid were the automotive industry, technology, manufacturing (light industry), medical industry, and the food and beverage industry. According to the […]

Abracadabra – Secrets of Magic interactive exhibition opens in Bucharest

The Abracadabra – Secrets of Magic interactive exhibition will transform Arcub – Hanul Gabroveni in Bucharest into a magical universe starting December 27, 2024. Running until May 4, 2025, the event offers visitors the opportunity to explore a labyrinth of magic, featuring over 20 interactive attractions and more than 500 live performances by MAGITOT and […]

Romanian president, head of European Commission pay homage to Romanian Revolution

Romanian president Klaus Iohannis and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, posted messages paying homage to the 1989 Romanian Revolution, which has its 35th anniversary these days. The Revolution put an end to the communist regime in Romania. The two leaders used the occasion to warn against the dangers of far-right, […]

Guest post: Lessons from the Electoral Year 2024 and where does Romania fit in the global context

Henry Páll Wulff, a German citizen living in Romania and former co-chair of Volt Romania political party, emphasizes how the disparate challenges and shifting dynamics in Romania underline the importance of understanding global trends.   The year 2024 brought a wave of significant elections worldwide, from the United States to Europe and beyond. Against this backdrop, […]