President Iohannis, European leaders - talks in preparation of Eastern Partnership Summit, European Council meeting

President Klaus Iohannis attended a videoconference meeting on Monday with European Council President Charles Michel, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, in preparation of Wednesday's Eastern Partnership Summit and Thursday's European Council meeting, agerpres reports.

The Presidential Administration informs that the main topics addressed were those on the agenda of the European Council, namely European coordination in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, crisis management and resilience, energy prices, EU security and defence, external aspects of migration and foreign relations, with a focus on the situation on the borders with Ukraine and Belarus.

According to the quoted source, in his speech, President Iohannis spoke in favor of continuing the close coordination of the EU member states, based on scientific data, including the new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The head of state highlighted the progress being made in adapting vaccines and the rapid access of member states to them.

With regard to the significant increase in energy prices recently, Iohannis emphasized the need for this topic to remain high on the agenda of the European institutions and called for a careful analysis of the functioning of the internal energy market so as to avoid its distortions. The head of state also recalled the need to find solutions to protect vulnerable consumers and stressed the importance of linking this discussion with the EU's climate change goals.

"The President of Romania reiterated our country's support for nuclear energy and natural gas, as options for an accessible energy transition, including in the context of the preparation of new legislative proposals of the European Commission," said the Presidential Administration.

In terms of security and defence, the head of state emphasized the idea of strengthening the role of the European Union in this field, in close cooperation and complementarity with NATO, by strengthening the transatlantic relationship. In this context, President Iohannis referred to his recent conversation with the President of the United States of America, Joseph R. Biden, in B9 format, and underscored the importance of coordination and unity in both the EU and NATO with regard to Russia's actions in the Eastern Neighborhood.

During the preparations for the Eastern Partnership (EaP) Summit, President Klaus Iohannis emphasized the need for the European Union to have a high level of ambition through the Joint Declaration to be adopted on this occasion, which would contain a strategic vision for the post-2020 period of the EaP.

At the same time, the head of state reiterated the need for the European Union to support partners who want and are firmly committed to reforms, such as the Republic of Moldova, whose leadership is oriented towards reform and a strong European commitment.