Ooni Koda
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Newsfeed
  4. /
  5. Meeting of President Klaus Iohannis with the Ambassadors...

Meeting of President Klaus Iohannis with the Ambassadors of the European Union member states accredited in Bucharest

January 5, 2023

The regrettable and unjustified blockage of Romania's accession to the Schengen area was one of the topics of Tuesday's meeting of President Klaus Iohannis with the Ambassadors of the European Union member states accredited in Bucharest, on the occasion of the completion of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union.According to a release of the Presidential Administration, within the meeting, there were tackled were mainly topical issues of the European agenda, including in view of the European Council meeting of 15 December.President Klaus Iohannis congratulated the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU for its efforts in respect to advancing the European agenda in an extremely difficult period, marked by the development of the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine and its complex consequences, the quoted source mentions.The head of state showed that Romania continued, throughout this year of challenges to concretely contribute to the security of the European Union and its citizens, understanding, since the beginning, that in this complicated context, the duty of the European states is to maintain unity, offer mutual support and solidarity, the release also showed.In this context, President Iohannis mentioned the "regrettable and unjustified" blockage of Romania's accession to the Schengen area, which is contrary to these principles and realities proven through solid data and reports of the European Commission which validate Romania's extremely positive results in protecting the external border of the European Union and the control of illegal migration," the Presidential Administration added.President Iohannis stressed Romania's decision to find solutions in order to overcome this blockage and become a Schengen member as soon as possible. He also mentioned that he'll raise the issue at the European Council meeting, this week, the quoted source mentions.In respect to the situation in Ukraine, Klaus Iohannis underscored the need to maintain the European support for this state at all levels, especially financially, for as long as it is needed, including in the reconstruction stage. Iohannis also mentioned Romania's support to Ukraine at multiple levels, highlighting the humanitarian level, directly and through the logistic center in Suceava, alongside the actions which facilitated the transit of over 10 million tons of grains from Ukraine to world markets.Moreover, Romania's President showed that the illegal aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine proved the strategic importance of the transatlantic relation for the European continent.Taking into account the complex challenges which the Republic of Moldova is confronted with in the war context, President Iohannis pleaded for maintaining the support of the European Union for this state, especially mentioning the energy crisis and Romania's efforts to ensure up to 90pct of the electricity supply of the Republic of Moldova.Furthermore, the head of state showed that energy security and ensuring some accessible prices for consumers must remain priorities of the European agenda, welcoming the results obtained so far in terms of decreasing the dependency from Russia, identifying alternative solutions and interconnections. Moreover, he underscored that the efforts must continue, with measures and an efficient mechanism to correct gas price being necessary, but also long-term measures, through a structural reform of the market which can limit the impact of gas price over the price of electricity, the Presidential Administration mentions.President Klaus Iohannis was in favor to continue the enlargement process of the EU, both with Eastern partners - the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, and with the partners in the Western Balkans, to which the European commitment was recently reaffirmed on the occasion of the Summit in Tirana.Moreover, the President wished good luck to the future Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU, which starts on 1 January 2023, showing that the challenges which the EU is confronted with are to multiply next year and, in the current geopolitical context, it is necessary to identify the best solutions for a Union which is strong and capable to respond to its citizens' expectations, the release also shows.   

Read in full - click here
Number of Romanians at risk of poverty drops by 375,000 in 2024

The number of people in Romania at risk of poverty stood at 3.59 million people in 2024, 375,000 fewer than in 2023, representing a 9.4% decrease, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics, or INS. Despite the improvement, nearly one in five Romanians was affected by poverty last year. According to INS, 19% […]

EPPO investigates EUR 54 mln Sibiu airport project, targets possible tender fraud

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Cluj-Napoca carried out multiple searches on Tuesday, July 1, at the Sibiu International Airport and the Sibiu County Council as part of an investigation into suspected fraud involving a EUR 54 million EU-funded infrastructure project. A total of 24 locations were searched across Bucharest, Brașov, and Sibiu county, […]

Bucharest taxi driver who scammed Nobel Prize laureate detained by police

A Romanian taxi driver who scammed 90-year-old Nigerian Nobel Prize laureate Wole Soyinka was detained by police on Sunday, June 29, according to media reports. On Friday, June 27, the venerable Nigerian arrived at Bucharest's Otopeni Airport. He got into a taxi and asked to be taken to a hotel downtown. At the destination, the […]

Romanian entrepreneur digitalizes UK construction sector with ERP solution

Costin Șerban, a Romanian entrepreneur, is digitalizing the construction sector in the United Kingdom with an ERP (enterprise resource planning) solution developed over 12 years and an investment of GBP 1.6 million (EUR 1.86 million). Șerban’s cloud-based ERP platform is called Abilo, was developed by the Romanian IT company Obi Systems, and is dedicated to […]

Border checks between Bulgaria and Romania officially removed as of July 1

Border checks between Bulgaria and Romania have officially been lifted on July 1, as part of the implementation of the Schengen Agreement. The lifting marks the end of the transitional period of heightened control at the internal border, which had remained in place for six months following their accession to the Schengen area by land […]

Remus Vulpescu takes over from Adrian Tănase as CEO of Bucharest Stock Exchange

Remus Vulpescu became CEO of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) on Tuesday, July 1, taking over from Adrian Tănase as the stock exchange grapples with a market dominated by government bonds.  Vulpescu, 53, is a graduate in political and legal sciences from the University of Bucharest and holder of an EMBA obtained in 2017. He […]