Romania’s Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos will pay an official visit to Brussels and The Hague, March 7-9, the Government informed in a press statement on Thursday.
On Monday, March 7, on the first day of the visit to Brussels, Ciolos will participate in a working lunch of the heads of state or government of the European Union and Turkey, as well as in an informal meeting of the European Council members.
“The discussions of the EU leaders with Turkey will start from the evaluation of the European Commission released before the summit of the latest developments in the implementation of the Action Plan with Turkey, as well as the result of preliminary talks with Turkey at the highest level of the European Union. The summit’s goal is to identify the progress with implementing the Action Plan and the constant improvements of the situation in Turkey, mainly in terms of reducing the migrant flows and combating against illegal migration,” the Government said.
It points out that the informal meeting of the European Council is aimed at “making an opinion exchange on the results of talks with Turkey, as well as on the developments in other aspects of migration management (the assessment of implementing the EC’s conclusions of February this year).”
On Tuesday, March 8, PM Ciolos will have a meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk on domestic developments in the European Union, “with emphasis on the economic situation, jobs, the refugee crisis, the Schengen area, the EU – UK relation, the Energy Union.”
Talks will also be held on the foreign policy files of the European Union, such as the Eastern Neighbourhood, the Republic of Moldova and Syria.
Also on Tuesday, Ciolos is scheduled to meet NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss regional security, NATO’s presence in the east of Europe, the Black Sea region, as well as the EU-NATO strategic relationship. In the evening at the Romanain Embassy in Brussels, Ciolos will meet leaders of the Romanian community of Belgium.
On Wednesday, March 9, the Ciolos goes to The Hague, where he will have a working lunch with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte, a meeting with the presidents of the two chambers of the Dutch Parliament and with members of the committees on European affairs.
“The goal of the visit to The Hague is to consolidate the bilateral relationship, with emphasis on the economic and commercial dialogue and on diversifying the cooperation framework between the two nations,” the Government said.
Next Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Ciolos will have a meeting with members of the Romanian community of the Netherlands.
Iohannis: Ciolos’ participation in Brussels’ reunion of European Council is a continuation of our positions
President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday that the participation of Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos in Brussels is continuing Romania’s position until now, stressing a more rigorous control at the EU borders is needed.
“The mandate I gave the Prime Minister is very clear and it continues the logics of our positions so far. I wouldn’t get into details, but it is clear that a more rigorous control of the external borders of the European Union is needed. Collaboration and solidarity at the EU level is needed. Strong, mutually agreed measures are needed to find solutions to the migrant phenomenon,” said Iohannis at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.
He added that in Brussels the stage of the measures taken to control the migrant flow is to be assessed, in particular on the Balkan route, alongside the EU – Turkey relationship in this matter, the impact of the NATO mission in the Aegean Sea.
President Klaus Iohannis has delegated Premier Dacian Ciolos to participate in the reunion of the heads of state or government of the member states of the European Union with Turkey, as well as in the reunion of the members of the European Council, to take place on Monday, in Brussels, the Presidential Administration announced.
Source:nineoclock.ro
