Prime Minister Dancila: When holding EU Council Presidency, consensus, peace are needed; political disputes secondary to it. The armistice has been demanded by Juncker

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said on Tuesday that Romania should follow the example of the other EU member states and seek consensus for the time it holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2019, stressing that political disputes should be secondary to that. She added that she is convinced that the national leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Liviu Dragnea, wants consensus, because he is a very experienced politician. “The armistice has been demanded by President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker himself. We have to follow the example of the other member states who have shown that when you hold the presidency of the Council of the EU, you need to have consensus, to have peace and to relegate disputes to a second plane because this very important objective to us has to prevail; it is an exam that Romania has to take and when I say Romania I do not necessarily mean the PSD and the ALDE [the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats], as we have to reference the entire political class and we have to prove more wisdom and more interest in Romania’s goals, instead of vested interests,” Dancila said, responded about the consensus demanded by Chairman of the Senate Calin Popescu-Tariceanu and his statement that Romania is not ready to take over the presidency of the EU Council. Asked if the PSD national leader Liviu Dragnea agrees with that, Dancila said she is convinced that he also wants consensus. “I have not talked with Mr Dragnea, but I am convinced that chairman Liviu Dragnea wants consensus during the presidency, because he is a politician with a lot of political experience and knows how important consensus is when holding the presidency of the Council of the EU,” added Dancila.   Dancila on questions asked by Timmermans: I gave applied responses, folded on the existing reality   The Head of the Bucharest Executive stated that she will send to First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, the responses to the 18 questions which he addressed, mentioning that she gave “applied answers, folded on the existing reality.” “I responded to all the 18 points that Mr. First Vice-President Frans Timmermans raised. Tomorrow, I will go to Brussels and we will discuss with him after seeing the detailed response on each point,” said Dancila, at the Parliament Palace. Asked about her response with respect to justice, Dancila said she cannot afford to get involved in this field. “I cannot afford to get involved in this field. I gave all the responses depending on the claims of the Minister of Justice and the Legal Committee of the Romanian Parliament, I did not say the opinion of one or the other, I gave applied responses, folded on the existing reality,” explained Dancila.   “The EU must offer to its citizens prosperity, stability and security”   Prime Minister Viorica Dancila on Tuesday underscored at the conference “Inclusive cohesion policy for a Union closer to the citizens,” organised at the Parliament Palace that the European Union must offer its citizens means to prosperity, stability, social solidarity, peace, liberty and security. “The European Union must offer its citizens prosperity, stability, social solidarity, peace, liberty and security. We need an Europe to be more integrated, stronger and more cohesive, built on objectives and consensual directions of action. In May, the European Commission made public a legislative package regarding the cohesion policy 2021-2027. (…) At the core of the Commission’s concerns there is the promotion of economic transformation through stimulating investments at the EU level, by encouraging innovation, digitization, but also through supporting small and medium-sized enterprises. Moreover, also targeted are ensuring energy transition, using energy from renewable sources and combating climate changes, as well as strengthening strategic networks of transport and digital. Not last, the emphasis on the social character of Europe and getting the citizens closer to the European institutions is also sought. Where does Romania stand in relation to these ambitious objectives? In just two months, starting on January 1, 2018, Romania will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union . The motto that will lead us during the six months is cohesion – a common European value,” said Dancila. She added that, in this spirit, Romania will aim for the European policies to permanently refer to the principle of cohesion, as a defining element of the European Union, in order to rebuild the citizens’ trust. Viorica Dancila stated that, in what concerns the financial support, our country endorses the European Commission’s proposal according to which grants should remain the main form of financing under the cohesion policy.