Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius, at the Controceni Palace

 President Klaus Iohannis met on Tuesday at the Cotroceni Palace with European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius, taking the opportunity to point out that environmental protection, the fight of climate change and climate education are national goals, the Presidential Administration informs.The agenda of the talks focused on topical issues regarding the protection of the environment and biodiversity, as well as the combat of climate change at national and European level, with the President of Romania reiterating support for the EU goals in these fields, the cited source said."President Klaus Iohannis stressed that environmental protection, the fight of climate change, along with climate education, are national goals and highlighted Romania's direct interest in these priorities, given the need to preserve Romania's rich biodiversity," the Presidential Administration said.During the talks, the head of the state conveyed the openness of the Romanian authorities to cooperating closely with the European Commission for the achievement of the joint environmental goals, both in terms of policies and implementation measures, and as far as the allocation of adequate resources is concerned.The two top officials agreed on the need to maintain a close dialogue on the challenges posed by the environmental infringement proceedings initiated against Romania, in order to identify and implement the best solutions that serve the citizens' interests.President Klaus Iohannis emphasized the role of education in promoting environmental goals, with the educational program on climate change and the environment being designed to raise awareness among the younger generations, the Presidential Administration said.In his turn, the European Commissioner commended Romania's commitment to work with the European Commission on finding solutions to environmental protection challenges and difficulties, amid Romania's substantial efforts for managing the situation generated by the Ukraine war.In this thread, Commissioner Sinkevicius also emphasized the long-term relevance of the Green Agenda and climate change targets for strengthening resilience, as well as the key role of education in these areas.