Romanian President Nicușor Dan became part of an increasing number of EU leaders on Tuesday, stating that after Moldova's clear pro-European result in Sunday's parliamentary elections, "technical discussions" for EU membership will now commence "even if the formal negotiations have not yet begun," due to Romania's unique connection with Moldova.
The Romanian president also seems to back an EU effort against Hungary's right to block Ukraine's entry into the EU, referring to it as a matter of "loyal European Union cooperation," although he still hopes a "compromise" can be reached.
"I hope the negotiations will be officially started, but if not, they will happen in a manner that, from a structural and administrative perspective, Moldova will be prepared for accession as quickly as possible," Dan said during an extensive interview with Euronews and Euronews Romania on Tuesday, prior to attending the informal EU summit in Copenhagen.
Romania is strongly backing Moldova and Ukraine's bid for EU membership, President Dan stated. Nevertheless, Hungary continues to block Ukraine's accession talks, leading to a political conflict with other EU members.
The Romanian president stated firmly that, irrespective of the context or the official schedule for discussions, numerous topics will be addressed in technical talks with Moldova.
During a combined interview with Euronews and Euronews Romania, Dan mentioned that there is a standard formal schedule for Moldova and Ukraine's accession talks, yet he expressed "extremely optimistic" views about Moldova's potential membership in the European Union following the Moldovans' "highly praiseworthy" vote despite a Russian disinformation campaign.
As stated by Romania's president, Russia "applied pressure on various fronts" in Moldova, including "stories that claim the West is getting ready to initiate a conflict with Russia or that the population is preparing for war."
"I witnessed this occurring very strongly in Moldova, and the local residents made logical decisions for their future," Dan said.
We need to discover a method to discuss and reach a compromise
However, Dan opted for a more detailed approach concerning the identical technical procedure related to Ukraine, partly due to Hungary's veto, but also, for the first time, because of what he referred to as a "pending discussion" on agriculture.
As stated by the Romanian president, "Ukraine possesses substantial agricultural output, which could disrupt the current (EU) systems."
"Conversely, Ukraine currently does not satisfy the criteria we enforce on the agricultural industry within the European Union," Dan stated.
There are ongoing discussions suggesting that, regarding agriculture, Ukraine should be granted a unique position to enable it to maintain substantial exports to non-European nations, while in all other sectors, it should be considered on par with others.
"Of course, Ukraine is currently facing an even greater issue, but one that affects everyone, specifically the war," he noted.
However, despite Romania maintaining strong ties with Hungary, the Romanian president made it explicitly clear about Hungary's opposition to Ukraine.
"We need to discover a method to engage in discussions," Dan stated, referring to "a balanced position." Nevertheless, in the end, the entire political conflict boils down to "cooperative loyalty" among EU nations, along with the concept of sovereignty.
"In my view, at least for now, there is no question of removing the veto rights of nations, in principle. However, on certain matters that are, in a way, more practical, we certainly need to be able to reach decisions," stated the Romanian leader clearly during an interview with Euronews and Euronews Romania.
According to his reasoning, "the Treaty on European Union mandates, and this is clearly mentioned, a commitment to cooperative efforts. A consistent blocking of decisions does not equate to such cooperation. Nevertheless, confirming this would involve referring to the Court of Justice, which is a lengthy process, which is why we must seek diplomatic solutions to progress," President Dan said to Euronews.
He mentioned that this scenario is connected to "an old discussion within the union regarding the decision-making process," specifically that "this principle of unanimity embodies a concept of sovereignty."
"When nations became part of the European Union, it was promised, or at least stated in the treaty, that they remained independent countries. Then making decisions for one country on behalf of another would be an infringement of sovereignty. That is one end of the spectrum," Dan noted.
The opposite extreme is when, for instance, we discuss money; indeed, it is entirely reasonable for nations that provide financial support to have a voice, while those that contribute little or nothing should not be allowed to obstruct the allocation of funds toward an initiative that numerous countries support.
"Here, clearly, I believe it is reasonable that there should be no chance of a veto. And now, between these two extremes, there is politics — we have politics within the European Union. We need to discover a method to negotiate," concluded Romania's president.
Romania is one of the Eastern European nations whose airspace has been breached by the Russian Federation in recent weeks.
Romania's Dan commended "the extremely rapid and tangible reaction from NATO member nations" to these breaches, stating that the response conveyed "a message to the residents of these countries that situations are being managed."
When questioned regarding Romania's approach to dealing with Russian incursions into its airspace, Dan mentioned that after updating the legislation, Romania now possesses "the kind of response that outlines our countermeasures." This includes "Romanian air forces conducting missions in other countries and foreign air forces carrying out missions in Romania, specifically to convey a message of deterrence against any potential attack."
Posting Komentar