VISIT Romanian Prime Minister Viorica
Dancila held talks in Tallinn on Friday with her Estonian counterpart Juri
Ratas. During the talks the two officials mentioned the close bilateral
relations between the two countries, which are based on similar progress, on common
European interests as well as on the process of assuring the security of the
eastern flank. The two officials also tackled ways of raising trade exchanges,
which are positive but also below the two economies’ potential. Dancila and
Ratas also discussed opportunities of developing cooperation in the fields of
defence, tourism, culture, education, energy, environment protection and agriculture.
During the talks it was mentioned the fact that Romania would be funding and providing
experts to the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Center of Excellence
headquartered in Tallinn. Dancila’s visit to Estonia has been the first high-level
visit paid by a high-ranking Romanian official since Romania recognized this Baltic
state’s independence in 1991. On Saturday the two Prime Ministers will be
flying on board of a Nordica airliner on an inaugural flight from Tallinn to
Constanta, where they are to inaugurate Estonia’s Honorary Consulate in Romania.
Prime Minister Dancila had also paid a formal visit to Lithuania on Thursday.
SUMMIT The 19th Meeting
of the Association of European Senates ended in Bucharest on Friday. The
meeting’s motto was the Role of Senates in a Europe Facing Challenges in terms
of Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion. In his address during the conference
Romanian Senate speaker Calin Popescu-Tariceanu underlined the need for
carrying on the EU’s cohesion policy aimed at eliminating the risk of deepening
the existing gaps or the emergence of new economic, social and territorial gaps
in Europe. Tariceanu also added that the cohesion policy represents the
strongest and the most visible investment in correcting regional imbalances and
in raising the citizens living standard.
MEETING Romania’s Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development, Petre Daea will fly to Luxembourg on Monday
to participate in a meeting of the EU’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council. High
on the agenda are laws on the Common Agricultural Policy after 2020 published
by the European Commission on June 1st. According to an Agriculture
Ministry communiqué published by AGERPRES on Friday, amendments to some
regulations within the Common Fisheries Policy and the latest developments on
the agriculture market are also to be debated upon during the meeting. The
Romanian minister had told a recent meeting of the EU’s ministers for
agriculture and fisheries held in Sofia, Bulgaria, that the funds earmarked to
Romania from the EU’s multiannual financial framework cannot help the country
to meet its objectives. Daea also said that a lower ceiling in the Common
Agricultural Policy’s two main pillars is worrying the Romanian farmers.
POLL Romanians are optimistic about the
economic situation in the European Union and pessimistic about the state of
their country’s economy, according to the results of the Eurobarometer
published on Thursday by the European Commission. 31% of Romanians believe the
state of the EU economy will improve, while only 27% say the situation of their
country’s economy is good at the moment, compared with the EU average of 49%.
Romanians also have more trust in the EU, namely 52%, than in national
institutions.