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French President visits Romania on August 24, Macron - Iohannis talks aim Strategic Partnership
President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron will pay a visit to Romania on August 24 at President Klaus Iohannis's invitation, the Presidential Administration announced on Monday in a press release.
According to the quoted source, the discussions that will take place at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace will focus on the development and strengthening of the Strategic Partnership bilateral relation, as well as on the main topics on the European, international and security agenda.
At the end of the meeting, the two presidents will hold a joint press conference.
The visit was agreed upon at the two officials' meeting on the sidelines of the European Council meeting on June 23, when Emmanuel Macron accepted Klaus Iohannis' proposal to pursue the dialogue in Bucharest, the Presidential Administration says.
According to Reuters, French President Emmanuel Macron will press for rules to better protect French workers from what they see as unfair labor competition from eastern Europe during a visit to the region later this month, an official said on Monday.
Macron has pledged to take steps to counter "social dumping" in France in which companies employ cheaper labor from the poorer eastern European states, threatening French workers' jobs.
EU states are divided on rules under which, for example, a Bulgarian truck driver or a Lithuanian bricklayer can work in France for a limited time for the eastern European wage, often below the minimum level guaranteed in the west.
Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic say they should be allowed to compete on lower prices - just as more developed western EU nations compete on quality products and know-how - to catch up after decades of communist stagnation.
The dispute is shaping up as one of the most contentious issues facing the bloc, exacerbating an east-west rift as it seeks unity to tackle Brexit.
The official said Macron would seek stricter rules on "social dumping" during his August 23-25 trip to Austria, Romania and Bulgaria, when he would also hold talks with the Czech Republic and Slovakian prime ministers.
The official described the visit as "an important symbol, since these are countries which in the past have been neglected, or ignored by France, or at the very least they feel as if this has been the case."