Nicușor Dan, the president of Romania, at Alden Biesen Castle, in Belgium, at the informal EU Council, on February 12, 2026. PHOTO: dts Nachrichtenagentur / imago stock and people / Profimedia
President Nicușor Dan makes press statements, Thursday evening, after participating in the informal meeting of the leaders of the European Council, at the Alden-Biesen Castle in Belgium.
The head of state will hold press statements at the end of this informal meeting, around 20:15 – 20:30, the Presidential Administration confirmed a little while ago.
HotNews will broadcast LIVETEXT the statements of Nicușor Dan.
The leaders of the 27 EU countries met on Thursday at the Alden-Biesen Castle to discuss the position the EU should adopt in a world characterized by increasingly fierce economic competition and trade imbalances, as well as the best way to respond to economic pressures and reduce economic dependencies, especially in areas such as raw materials and critical technologies, according to the website of the European Council, quoted by Agerpres.
The Presidential Administration wrote before the meeting that the main topic will be “to comprehensively debate, at the level of European leaders, how to generate more prosperity, well-being and quality services for citizens in the new global context, marked by profound transformations.”
“Consolidating the Single Market and increasing the competitiveness of the European Union are the main solutions on the table of discussions. From this perspective, the agenda will include topics such as strengthening European industry and building the strategic autonomy of the EU, reducing bureaucracy and national barriers, simplifying legislation, but also encouraging investments and innovations to develop the European economies,” the press release sent by the Presidency on Wednesday states.
The two big goals
Before participating in the meeting, according to Agerpres, President Nicușor Dan said that EU leaders have two big objectives: the price of energy, namely interconnection and carbon taxes, and the fair division of the multiannual budget.
“It is very important at the moment when we will have the money for competitiveness within the multiannual budget 2028 – 2034 that the distribution of this money is also done according to geographical criteria, so that we do not deepen the gap between more developed and less developed countries,” he declared.
The head of state warned that if this money will be distributed according to “strictly competitive criteria, then, let's be very honest, Romania and many countries, let's say from the border of the European Union, will not have much chance to take this money and then the gap will deepen, it will increase”.
The Presidential Administration specified that, in preparation for the meeting, Nicușor Dan requested points of view from institutions with responsibilities on European issues in order to formulate a coherent vision of Romania regarding the action priorities at the EU level for the next period.
