Minister-delegate Negrescu says Presidency of EU Council presents many opportunities for Romania, but also risks

When tackling the Brexit matter, namely the UK's withdrawal from the EU, which is scheduled to take place at the end of March 2019, the Romanian Minister-delegate voiced hope, in a discussion with US journalist Samuel Burke, that negotiations between Brussels and London conclude with an agreement, taking into account that there are fears of a no-deal situation. 

"It is absolutely necessary to have an agreement for everybody, in order to ensure that we keep in touch and continue to do what we have done so successfully for both sides so far," Negrescu stated. If an agreement is reached in the negotiations on Brexit between the Union and the United Kingdom by the end of this year, Romania through the Presidency of the EU Council "can generate a common position among the member states regarding the future relationship between the UK and the Union," he said. 

Negrescu also mentioned that Romania's main direction at the Presidency of the EU Council is cohesion, making sure that the member states listen and respect each other. He went on saying that through this cohesion the removal of gaps between member states in economic and social terms should also be taken into account. The next Summit in Sibiu will be a key moment to imagine a future for the European Union that focuses on citizens, he added. 

"We are trying to build a national consensus around the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU and we want to show that Romania is a country that can manage things wisely," the Romanian Minister-delegate concluded.

AGERPRES