European Council President Charles Michel was welcomed on Wednesday at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace by President Klaus Iohannis, and the two officials will hold a working meeting dedicated to the preparation of the future Strategic Agenda of the European Union.Prior to this meeting, which will also be attended by the Prime Ministers of Belgium, Hungary and Croatia, President Klaus Iohannis and the president of the European Council will have face-to-face talks and will then make joint press statements.Afterwards, the working meeting dedicated to the preparation of the future Strategic Agenda of the European Union will take place together with Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban and Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic."The consultations held in Bucharest are part of a broader process of defining the European Union's priorities for the period 2024-2029, which started at the informal European Council meeting in Granada on 6 October 2023, when the discussions of the leaders of the EU member states revealed the interest in placing security and defence, global engagement and enlargement of the Union at the top of the European agenda, and strengthening the Union's resilience and competitiveness. On the basis of the coordinates established in Granada, the discussions during the meeting at the Cotroceni Palace will be an opportunity to deepen these elements and to analyse the lines of action at the level of the European Union in order to achieve the common objectives of strengthening the EU's profile at international level, ensuring prosperity and promoting and protecting democracy and European values," the Presidential Administration informed on Tuesday.Discussions preparing the Strategic Agenda for the next institutional cycle will continue at EU leaders' level, so the European Council can adopt it at its meeting scheduled for the end of June this year. The president of the European Council, Charles Michel on Wednesday congratulated Klaus Iohannis for Romania's partial accession to the European free movement area.Charles Michel held a joint press conference with the Romanian head of state in which he congratulated president Iohannis for the important steps taken regarding accession to the Schengen Area.On March 31, Romania and Bulgaria entered the air and maritime Schengen area.The president of the European Council voiced conviction that Romania would take additional steps in this regard.Michel recalled that, during a previous visit to Romania, he made a commitment to support our country's efforts regarding Schengen accession. "This very great progress has been made. You can count on my support from now on," said the senior official.The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, is in Bucharest to discuss the EU's Strategic Agenda for the next five years.He will discuss this topic with president Iohannis, the prime minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, the prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban and the prime minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic."We learnt our lessons, you're absolutely right. We have been facing a lot of extraordinary difficult challenges: the Covid pandemic, the climate and the energy crisis, war on European soil and a lot of uncertainty. Progress has been made on EU enlargement and very important decisions have been reached", the European official pointed out.Charles Michel emphasized that one of the priorities is security and defense. "We intend to identify the necessary instruments for investments", he pointed out, stressing that European countries must be "more responsible for their own security".The president of the European Council mentioned, among the priorities of the new agenda, the stability and prosperity of the European Union. Charles Michel also spoke about the situation in agriculture. "Farmers in the European Union deserve our support and fair revenues," he said.The EU leader emphasized that all decisions at this level "are guided by this fundamental belief in common values".
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