Government: European Commissioner for Budget accepts Prime Minister's invitation to visit Romania

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila had a meeting on Tuesday in Brussels, with European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources Gunther Oettinger, who accepted the invitation addressed to him by the Romanian Prime Minister to visit Romania, a Government press release informs. 

According to the press release, during the meting, Viorica Dancila expressed her appreciation for the good cooperation with the European Commission and voiced confidence that it will continue in the same constructive manner, especially in the context of Romania's preparations for and exercising of the presidency of the Council of the European Union, in the first semester of next year. 

"Prime Minister Viorica Dancila evoked the opportunity that holding the presidency of the EU Council represents for Romania in proving its deep attachment towards the European construct and in promoting the European interest. Romania's Prime Minister also presented the main objectives that Romania will assume during the time of exercising its mandate of the EU Council presidency, in relation with a series of major European files, the exchange of opinions aimed primarily at the negotiations for the next Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-207, a priority file in European Commissioner Gunther Oettinger's portfolio," the quoted source specifies. 

In the context, Viorica Dancila reaffirmed Romania's interest and commitment to actively contribute during its mandate at the presidency of the EU Council, to identifying a consensus in making important decisions concerning the future multi-annual budget of the Union, which will allow for an efficient implementation and in good time of investment projects at the Union's level. 

The Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of agreeing on some balanced solutions concerning the next Financial Framework, to reflect, alike, the need to further the economic and social convergence project at the level of the entire Union, as well as to ensure an adequate response to the new realities and challenges that the EU and the member states need to address. 

The head of the Executive showed that Romania can contribute to facilitating a political agreement on the Multi-Annual Financial Framework post-2020, by organizing in Bucharest, at the end of October, an international conference concerning the future of cohesion policy. 

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila also pointed out the main interest elements for Romania, with respect to the next Multi-Annual Financial Framework post-2020, indicating the importance of maintaining a substantial allocation for the cohesion and common agricultural policies, of promoting solutions that will contribute to simplifying and to streamlining the implementation process for member states and beneficiaries of the European programmes and financial instruments. 

She reiterated that Romania will support the allocation necessary to back the Union's new priorities. 

Creating a European framework which will ensure the conditions for promoting the employment facilities and geographic and professional mobility of workers, as well as adapting to the industrial transformations and the evolution of production systems represented another topic that was tackled during the meeting with Gunther Oettinger. 

The Romanian Prime Minister and the European Commissioner have agreed to start in Bucharest, September through November, a dialogue at expert level on budget and Human Resources. 

The European Commissioner for Budget and Resources thanked the Romanian Prime Minister for initiating a dialogue in good time with the European Commission representatives, underscoring that this demarche shows the Romanian Government's interest in having a successful mandate at the presidency of the Council of the European Union, the release further mentions. 

Attending the talks was also the Minister for European Funds, Rovana Plumb.