PNL's Ciuca, meetings with EC, EP presidents on EPP congress sidelines in Rotterdam

Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, president of the National Liberal Party (PNL) met with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, as well as with the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, on the sidelines of the European People's Party congress, in Rotterdam, on Monday, a party's release reads, Agerpres reports.

The PNL president also met with the new leader of the European People's Party, Manfred Weber.

During the meeting with Ursula Von der Leyen, Nicolae Ciuca expressed his support for the rapid implementation of the sixth package of sanctions against the Russian Federation and strongly condemned the war of aggression unleashed by Vladimir Putin against Ukraine.

The future of the EPP, the current agenda of the EU, as well as the expansion of the Schengen area were the topics addressed in the discussions with the EP President, Roberta Metsola, the source says.

On this occasion, Ciuca reiterated that Romania's accession to the Schengen area is a priority for our country, which relies on the full support of the European Parliament to achieve this objective.

At the meeting with the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, the discussion focused on the security situation in the region and Romania's support for Moldova's EU candidate status.