President Nicușor Dan is participating in the informal meeting of the European Council on Thursday and Friday in Cyprus. The move of the head of state comes against the background of the governmental crisis in Bucharest.
- HotNews delivers the most important information from the spot.
Upon arriving at the meeting, Nicusor Dan declared that he had not officially received the PSD ministers' resignations, although he stated that he knows what happened today: “We are waiting for them and we will decide.”
The head of state added that, at least, from what he perceived, “the tone of the discussions has calmed down a little” in the country and hinted that he is considering getting involved in next week's discussions as well.
“For sure something will happen next week with me involved, but I'll let you know,” he said.
The president insisted on his status as a mediator in this political crisis and emphasized that “I don't want to pass judgment on the actions of each of the parties.”
Asked by HotNews what he will convey to the European leaders in relation to the governmental crisis in Bucharest, Nicușor Dan answered: “In private, I will say more than I tell you publicly”.
Full statements by President Dan
- Nicusor Dan: As you know, Cyprus has the rotating Presidency of the Union and it is the Summit of the Union that takes place every six months in the country that holds the Presidency. There are four important topics under discussion, I leave the most important one at the end. It is obviously about the crisis in the Middle East and how we can respond to it. Then Ukraine – as you know, we finally had the unblocking of both the loan and the 20th package of sanctions. After that, the continuation of discussions on competitiveness, how to have a real Single Market and, because this is the most important thing, how to lower Energy prices in the Union, therefore also in Romania – this for both domestic consumers and industry. And the most important topic, a discussion on the future multiannual framework, i.e. European money from 2028-2034. And here Romania has several objectives. First of all, we want the budget to be an ambitious one, a big budget, and then the first time is a very consistent session, 400 billion on competitiveness – we want this competitiveness money to help – and we are many countries that want that – we want this competitiveness money to reach companies in less developed countries as well, so that we do not increase the gap.
- Question: Regarding the discussions here, in Cyprus, does Romania support that proposal regarding a common defense clause between the countries of the Union in addition to Article 5 of NATO?
- Nicusor Dan: It's a discussion that has just started, and obviously any security collaboration is welcome, but the foundation, or the most important part of our defense, comes from NATO membership and the Strategic Partnership with the United States.
- Question: Have you already received the resignation and appointment documents of the new interim ministers?
- Nicusor Dan: No, officially, no. Of course I know what happened today, we wait for them and decide.
- Question: Do you think that a motion of censure quickly submitted by the PSD would help or inflame even more?
- Nicusor Dan: I am the mediator, I do not want to rule on the actions of each of the parties.
- Question: That's exactly what I was asking, if a motion of no confidence would further inflame spirits or help unblock the situation.
- Nicusor Dan: Anything I say would be biased to one or the other.
- Journalist: How do you mediate them, if Ilie Bolojan said that PNL will no longer form an alliance with PSD? What's next?
- Nicusor Dan: There are a lot of scenarios and I don't want to go into them. But I appreciate that, at least from what I perceived, the tone of the discussions has calmed down a bit.
- HotNews Question: It's something society didn't understand, because ten months ago you said you wanted Ilie Bolojan as a solution against waste and populism. Did Ilie Bolojan perform or not perform, from your point of view?
- Nicusor Dan: If I were to give you an answer, I would place myself on one side or the other, and I want to keep my status as a mediator.
- Question: What will you say to the European leaders if they ask you about what is happening on the political scene here, taking into account the projects on PNRR and SAFE?
- Nicusor Dan: What I also told the Romanian citizens in the statement I had last night, that Romania keeps the European direction, that we have four pro-Western parties that want to keep that, that for us OECD, SAFE and PNRR are extremely important and there is consensus on that. The institutions are working and, in one form or another, Romania will continue on the path it has embarked on.
- Question: What expectations do you now have from the Coalition after the resignation of the PSD ministers and whether you will organize further consultations with the parties.
- Nicusor Dan: I will let you know. Surely something will happen next week with my participation, but I will let you know.
- Question: Do you think that the Government, in the form with the interim ministers, will perform?
- Nicusor Dan: Yes.
- HotNews Question: You will talk to European leaders and who is responsible for this political crisis in Romania. What will you answer when they ask you this?
- Nicusor Dan: In private, I will say more than I say to you in public. We'll talk more tomorrow night.
Nicusor Dan, about the political crisis: I am a mediator, I don't want to comment on the parties' actions
The head of state made press statements before the start of the meeting.
“I am a mediator, I don't want to rule on the actions of the parties”, the president insisted, referring to the political crisis in Bucharest.
“There are a lot of scenarios and I don't want to get into them. I appreciate that the tone of the discussions has calmed down a bit,” added Nicușor Dan.
HotNews asked the president if the liberal prime minister performed or not, in the context in which, 10 months ago, Nicușor Dan said that he wanted Ilie Bolojan as a “solution against waste and populism”.
“If I were to give you an answer, I would place myself on one side or the other. That way I will keep my status as a mediator,” the president said.
Upon arrival, Nicușor Dan was greeted by the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides.
The President's first message from Cyprus
“For Romania, a very important topic on the agenda of the informal European Council in Cyprus is that of the future EU budget. Discussions are underway and will require difficult choices,” President Nicușor Dan said in his first message from Cyprus.
In a message published on his Facebook page, the head of state detailed the agenda that Romania is pursuing during the meeting.
Nicusor Dan specified:
- “These days, in Cyprus, I am participating in the informal meeting of the European Council. We will address a number of topics with a major impact on our citizens and the need for a coordinated European response to reduce the shock generated by developments in the Middle East and secure the necessary fuel stocks.
- Cohesion has been and must remain an important pillar of the Union. It is an indispensable ingredient of our common solidarity. At the same time, the Union must invest resources in competitiveness and security, in ensuring a strong Common Agricultural Policy, as well as in connectivity and innovation with a particular focus on our immediate neighbourhood.
- That means we need a Union budget commensurate with our political ambitions, which must be high.
- Romania can enjoy prosperity and security only in a prosperous and strong Union. In practice, this means finding new resources to feed the future EU budget, knowing that in the end these new resources actually return to effective investment in the Member States.
- It is important to understand that the European Union, keeping a central pillar of cohesion, must have sufficient resources of its own to carry out the objectives we set for it.
- I am glad to note that we are advancing at a rapid pace towards our competitiveness goals, as the “One Europe, one market” Roadmap will be presented and signed at this informal meeting of the European Council.“
Original news: On the day the PSD ministers submitted their resignations, the President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, is not in the country. The head of state participates, in Cyprus, in an informal meeting of the heads of state or government of the European Union.
The meeting in Cyprus does not have a decisive character, but it has an important political stake: the coordination of the positions of the European leaders in the current security context.
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, is also expected at the talks, as a guest. In contrast, Hungary's current prime minister, Viktor Orban, and Austria's chancellor, Christian Stocker, are not attending this meeting.
Before leaving, the president promulgated the Law to prevent and combat femicide and sent a message to Romanians, at a time when the political scene in Bucharest is full of tension.
On Wednesday evening, after consultations with the parties, Nicușor Dan made a press statement in which he called for the “de-escalation” of political tensions. “Calm down and we'll get through it,” said the president.
On Thursday, upon arrival in the town of Agia Napa in the east of the island, Nicușor Dan will be greeted by the Cypriot head of the Protocol and then led to the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, for the official photo.
The program continues with an official dinner of the leaders, where the main security files will be discussed, including the war in Ukraine and developments in the neighborhood of the European Union.
On Friday, the meeting continues with working sessions dedicated to regional cooperation and the coordination of European positions in the face of new geopolitical challenges. The event takes place in the context in which Cyprus currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The agenda of the meeting can be consulted here.
