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PM Ciolos: To Romania, 10yrs of EU membership means 10yrs of strengthening democracy
Ten years in the European Union means to Romania ten years of growth, development, strengthening of democracy, asserts the incumbent Premier Dacian Ciolos, a European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development in 2010 - 2014.
"For the people in Romania, ten years within the European Union could be seen almost daily, from the young who have the possibility to study, to enjoy professional experiences in EU countries, to the rural locality mayor who made it, by using European funds, to build a decent road for their villagers," says Ciolos in a video message sent on the 10th anniversary of Romania's EU membership and published on the Facebook page of the European Commission Representation in Romania.
Ciolos recalls that to him the ten years were "a period of very intense experience."
"I'd dare say that, in a way or another, professionally speaking I'm the product of this rapprochement and integration of Romania with the European Union. I've started ever since student's period, when due to Romania's nearness to the European Union, I had the opportunity to follow internships in EU countries' farms, first of all in France, to compare the way they make agriculture with what we do here and to be able to improve things from the professional point of view, at home. In that period too I had the chance to know the so-called Brussels with the European bodies from the inside through an internship I could follow at the European Commission. As well, the experience from Romania was afterwards useful on the next 5-year period of being a European Commissioner, practically Romania's representative in what we could call in a certain way the Government of the European Union, where I dealt with agriculture and rural development," says Ciolos.
He mentions that the period he used to be a European Commissioner, the common agricultural policy (CAP) was being reformed.
"It was the period I have reformed the common agricultural policy and I did it to look alike what Romania and Romanians, among other things, need to develop their agriculture and rural environment. I realised that the most efficient way to help Romania within the European Union is to be able to have this opening of vision and this experience which definitely enriches and makes us Romanians to be more aware of our potential and more confident of what we could do as a EU country," adds Ciolos.