EC’s Cristea urges Romania’s political leaders to agree on pro-European pact to meet the expectations of the citizens

The head of the European Commission Representation in Romania, Angela Cristea, on Tuesday called on Romania’s political leaders to agree on a “pro-European pact to meet the expectations of the Romanian citizens.” “My hope is that (…) you will find time, honourable political leaders, to agree on a pro-European pact, on a pact that meets the expectations of the Romanian citizens for Romania to be a strong state in the European Union, perceived as such and able to generate the solutions that Europe needs,” Cristea said at a conference called “The Road to Sibiu – A closer step,” organised in Bucharest by the EC Representation in Romania. She said that it is “surprising” that although all parties declare themselves pro-European, very different positions can often be seen in the public space in Romania. “This is the year of the Centennial [ of Romania’s Greater Union of December 1, 1918], a year in which everybody would like us to regain our unity, to remember what unites us, not what separates us. But now, one month before the celebration of the Greater Union, we see that the political space very divided, but it only reflects what is happening in the public space in Romania. There are issues that break Romania in two, but my belief is that we can find bridges so that we can unite these two Romanias. We know that there are in fact more than two Romanias – anyone travelling through the country discovers that – and then I find it important for us to be able to concentrate (…) to build those bridge buttressed by the common values that we all share,” said Cristea. She added that Romanians continue to be pro-European, but the percentage of those who believe that Romania has gained from joining the EU has fallen. “We, the European Commission, are very grateful that the Romanians continue to be pro-European. In the latest opinion poll, 57pct of Romanians trust the European Union, but it is the first time when the percentage of those who believe that Romania (…) has gained from its EU membership has fallen to below 50pct. That is a worrisome figure, although it may be seasonal … (…) We will see if it is a momentary effect or a lasting tendency,” said Cristea.    Kelemen Hunor: We are pro-European, but this doesn’t mean ignoring the EU’s problems   UDMR President Kelemen Hunor stated on Tuesday, at the ‘Road to Sibiu – A step closer’ event organised by the European Commission’s representation, that the party he leads is pro-European but that does not mean ignoring the problems of the EU. President Kelemen Hunor considers that, without the EU, Romania would be a failed state in 2018, and any discussion about a potential exit from the EU is very dangerous. To the same extent, the UDMR is a supporter of the North Atlantic Alliance, and without NATO – without this “safety belt” – and the strategic partnership with the United States of America, Romania would become vulnerable in the face of another regional power from the East. From the East we never got freedom, nor prosperity or security, the leader of UDMR pointed out, according to a communique. During the debates, UDMR President Kelemen Hunor warned that being pro-European does not mean not identifying or ignoring the problems that the European Union and the entire European continent are facing. Kelemen Hunor considers that European politicians must analyse from time to time the reasons for such high distrust of the EU, what the political mainstream did wrong in the last 20-25 years. The leader of UDMR added that, while the European Union is very strong economically, at the same time it is very weak politically and militarily. “A reform, a reset within the EU is needed, because aside from the distance between the East and the West, from aspects concerning the mentality, which stem from our very different history, there are also other issues that must be discussed,” reads the press release. “The separation of powers hasn’t occurred, not even by 2018, there is no rule of law when laws are not observed – in this sense the leader of UDMR mentioned the case of the UMF in Targu Mures and the laws on restitutions – and, even though the country has all the fundamental democratic institutions, however the substance of their activities is missing,” the UDMR leader said, criticising the domestic situation.   USR’s Barna: Government headed by Viorica Dancila “is incapable” of taking over Presidency of EU Council   Save Romania Union (USR) chair Dan Barna said on Tuesday that the Government headed by Viorica Dancila “is incapable” of taking over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, stating that he hopes the Executive will be changed this autumn. “The factual reality is that this Government, headed by Viorica Dancila, (…) is obviously incapable of taking over the Presidency of the Council and, from this perspective, I hope that this autumn we will manage to change the Government. We will obviously have a censure motion from which we have very high expectations. We have not set the date yet, we are discussing and we are talking to all the forces in Parliament. It is an objective reality. Romania has no chance to lead the Council (…) by taking over the Presidency with this Government,” Dan Barna said after attending the conference ?The Road to Sibiu – A Step Closer,’ organized in Bucharest by the European Commission Representation in Romania. At the same time, the USR leader said that within the Social Democratic Party “competence seems a joke”. “Liviu Dragnea has rebuilt this PSD in which competence seems to be a joke. In 1918, the Development minister was Anghel Saligny, and now we have Paul Stanescu. The Prime Minister was Bratianu, we have Mrs. Dancila. There are huge differences. He surrounded himself with deeply incompetent people, having only one personal goal: his personal stake and his criminal issues (…). For the lack...