FinMin Citu: Romania doesn't support switch from unanimity to qualified majority in taxation-related decisions at EU level

Romania does not support the transition from unanimity to a qualified majority in respect to the adoption of the decisions taken at the EU level in the taxation field, said the Minister of Public Finance, Florin Citu, at the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN).

In the context in which the EU finance ministers debated the need to reform the fiscal system for fair and efficient taxation, Florin Citu recalled that taxation policy is an element of sovereignty and an essential lever in establishing national policies.

During the discussions on the introduction of a minimum level of taxation, the Romanian official reminded that this issue represents a problematic aspect for Romania.

Florin Citu also expressed his support for improving EU rules for administrative cooperation between member states.

"We support the financing of the EU budget based on the principles of fairness, efficiency, transparency and simplicity. Regarding the new own resources to be proposed by the European Commission, we are open to discussions, but we must first see the concrete proposals and the financial impact on the national budget," said Florin Citu, who participated in the meeting of European finance ministers, through a videoconference system.

The Romanian official stated that Romania attaches great importance to the fair share of the financial burden between the member states, taking into account their economic development.

The Minister of Public Finance emphasized that the use of taxation as support in the transition to the "green economy" must take into account the economic specificities of each Member State, especially in the case of countries in the process of catching up.

The implementation of economic recovery plans at EU level, the European budget's own resources system, ways to ensure a fair and efficient taxation system and the adaptation of financial markets to the digital age were the main topics of discussion of the informal meeting of finance ministers. from the EU, in Berlin, on September 11 and 12 2020.

The meeting of September 11, 2020, was preceded by the Eurogroup meeting in extended format, which had on its agenda the review of the files related to the Banking Union.