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Angela Cristea: the Presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019 represents "the true maturity test" for Romania as a EU member state
Head of the European Commission's Representation in Bucharest Angela Cristea said on Thursday that Romania's taking over the Presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019 represents "the true maturity test" for Romania as a EU member state.
Cristea voiced her opinion that the Union is still seen as "an external construction" Romania must reference to.
"When we say the European Union we also say Romania and the extent to which everyone can contribute to better European policies for European citizens is actually the extent of personal involvement and of assuming this country project," said Angela Cristea.
The head of the European Commission's Representation added that the six months of Romania's holding the helm of the Council of the EU will be "special".
"The real maturity test for Romania as a member of the European Union will be in the first half of 2019, when Romania will be at the helm of the EU for six months. It will have the honor to chair all the negotiations conducted among member states on the cases that will be on the agenda in that period, of which a highly important element is the budget for the period 2020 - 2027. These won't be six months like any other, but six special months, and I am glad to see that preparations for this maturity test have already begun in Romania," said Cristea.
She mentioned that in January 2017 there will be 10 years since Romania's accession to the European Union.
"It was a country project that didn't start in 1989, immediately after the Revolution, (...) but a few years afterwards EU accession very clearly emerged as a country project. It happened in 2007 and in January there will be 10 years of this experience which - I believe - has considerably grown Romania as a state and helped it greatly increase its influence within the EU," added Angela Cristea.
The head of the European Commission's Representation in Bucharest participated on Thursday in the launch of the brochure "10 Priorities of a Perfect 10! The Juncker Commission's Priorities Seen Through the Eyes of Young Romanians" organised at the Infoeuropa Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.