Ministrul afacerilor externe Bogdan Aurescu a participat astăzi, 11 iulie 2022, la conferința de lansare în România a Președinției cehe a Consiliului UE pentru semestrul al doilea al anului. La eveniment au mai participat ambasadoarea Republicii Cehe la București, Halka Kaiserová, purtătorul de cuvânt al Reprezentanței Comisiei Europene la București, Ștefan Turcu, precum și reprezentanți ai corpului diplomatic acreditat la București. De asemenea, șefa Reprezentanței Comisiei Europene în România, Ramona Chiriac, a adresat, cu acest prilej, un mesaj video.
În intervenția sa, ministrul afacerilor externe a exprimat susținerea deplină a României pentru avansarea agendei europene pe durata Președinției cehe, în vederea consolidării Uniunii Europene în fața provocărilor multiple pe care le înfruntă în prezent. Ministrul Bogdan Aurescu a evidențiat importanța solidarității, coeziunii și unității statelor membre, făcând referire la răspunsul unitar al statelor membre dovedit în ultimele luni, inclusiv în ceea ce privește sprijinirea cetățenilor ucraineni care au fugit din calea războiului ilegal și ilegitim declanșat de Rusia.
În același context, ministrul Bogdan Aurescu s-a referit și la importanța asigurării securității energetice a Uniunii, salutând astfel obiectivele Președinției cehe în domeniu. În acest sens, a apreciat accentul pe care Președinția cehă îl plasează pe avansarea discuțiilor privind Planul RePowerEU, precum și pentru finalizarea negocierilor privind Pachetul Fit for 55 în domeniul climei.
Ministrul afacerilor externe a exprimat apreciere și pentru atenția pe care Președinția cehă intenționează să o acorde provocărilor din domeniul securității cibernetice în contextul intensificării provocărilor de acest tip. Astfel, a exprimat încrederea că, prin intermediul Centrului de Competențe în domeniul securității cibernetice ce va fi găzduit la București va fi adusă o contribuție substanțială la îndeplinirea obiectivelor de securitate în acest domeniu.
De asemenea, ministrul Bogdan Aurescu a reiterat obiectivul României de obținere a unei decizii pozitive privind aderarea sa la spațiul Schengen, arătând faptul că acțiunea fermă a țării noastre în gestionarea crizei generate de războiul din Ucraina a reconfirmat capacitatea României de a asigura un răspuns solidar și eficient la provocările actuale privind securitatea frontierei externe UE.
În ceea ce privește Vecinătatea Estică, ministrul afacerilor externe a exprimat apreciere pentru recunoașterea, cu prilejul recentului Consiliu European din iunie 2022, a perspectivei europene a Ucrainei, R. Moldova şi Georgiei, precum şi pentru acordarea statutului de candidat Ucrainei și R. Moldova. A subliniat importanța continuării sprijinului Uniunii Europene pentru eforturile de modernizare și pentru îndeplinirea reformelor necesare în procesul de integrare europeană a acestor state. Ministrul Bogdan Aurescu a reiterat, totodată, susținerea României pentru începerea efectivă a negocierilor de aderare cu Albania și R. Macedonia de Nord.
Ministrul Bogdan Aurescu a menționat în acest cadru găzduirea de către România, la 15 iulie 2022, la București, a celei de-a doua conferințe a Platformei de Sprijin pentru Republica Moldova, co-organizată și co-prezidată împreună cu Germania și Franța, subliniind importanța acestui format pentru generarea asistenței în favoarea obiectivelor de reformă din această țară, aspect cu atât mai relevant după obținerea statutului de candidat la aderare care presupune îndeplinirea unui set consistent de reforme, menționate în Opinia Comisiei Europene din 17 iunie. A subliniat rolul grupurilor de lucru înființate în acest format pentru susținerea acestor reforme democratice și a făcut un apel la implicarea statelor membre UE în acest sens.
Șeful diplomației române a exprimat apreciere față obiectivele Președinției cehe în ceea ce privește consolidarea parteneriatului transatlantic, pe baza valorilor și principiilor comune care stau la baza relației dintre Uniunea Europeană şi Statele Unite ale Americii. A evidențiat, în context, aniversarea, la 11 iulie 2022, a 25 ani de la lansarea Parteneriatului Strategic între România și Statele Unite ale Americii (http://www.mae.ro/node/59125).
Transmitem, mai jos, transcrierea intervenției ministrului afacerilor externe Bogdan Aurescu cu această ocazie:
Madam Ambassador,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am very glad and honoured to be here, today, for the launch of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council. And thank you so much, Ambassador, for extending this invitation to me. And I also thank the Representation of the European Commission for hosting us today.
I would also like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the outgoing French Presidency, for the efforts to advance the EU files during such a very difficult time for the European Union. Thank you, Ambassador Auer, for your support and dedication!
Madam Ambassador Kaiserová, I would like to wish you the best of success in this very difficult task, in the six months to come. Romania fully supports the advancement of the EU agenda through the consensual and constructive approach that you are proposing, and you can count on our contribution along this objective.
As we have seen during the last two years, the European context has become increasingly complex, and we have huge challenges that require multifaceted responses at European level. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian aggression against Ukraine brutally confronted the European Union with the most dramatic and profound security crisis after the Second World War. Against this background, we proved that we are able to work together, to react on one voice to the difficult situation in our neighbourhood and to find consensus in articulating a firm and legitimate EU response. And this was not an easy task, since the decisions need to find common grounds to fit the interests of each and every Member State. But the power of the European Union stems from its unity. And in this respect, we very much agree with the Czech Presidency that “the culture of political dialogue and consensus-building that we have been forging for decades proves to be a strength rather than a weakness of the European project”.
The responses that we have to conceive today are multiple, complex and interconnected.
Supporting our partners deeply affected by war in the neighbourhood, responding to the refugee crisis and to the economic and social impact of the war, tackling climate change, while ensuring at the same time the necessary energy supplies, coping with cyber security threats and adapting to a world of new technologies – all these require from us a cohesive, well-adjusted and united response.
For these reasons, we welcome the objective of the Czech Presidency to focus on security and prosperity, while keeping up the European values of freedom, social justice, democracy and the rule of law. Romania fully shares these objectives.
The motto of the Czech Presidency, “Europe as a Task: Rethink, Rebuild, Repower”, is a concise outline of our current priorities, and they are indeed inspired by the words of President Havel during his address in 1996. Back then, today’s European Union was yet a dream to come true. But nowadays, we should remain committed to this task, and do all our best for Europe and, as a matter of fact, for the entire Euro-Atlantic and global community, by preserving our values and our principles, and making all in our power to pass on a heritage of peace and prosperity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In more than seven decades of history, the European Union has proved that, through strategic vision, dramatic developments can be turned into solid arguments to advance integration and forge a more secure European future for the citizens.
The historic decision taken at the June European Council which recognised the European perspective for our three Eastern associated partners – Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia and granting candidate status to Ukraine and Republic of Moldova proved that we can act united, in a visionary manner, to design the future of Europe. And we need to continue to support these countries in concrete terms, to continue to show solidarity and, most of all, to start looking forward towards the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.
In managing the refugees’ situation, unity and solidarity proved to be key. Since the beginning of the war, millions of Ukrainians left their homes to escape the war. And, together, in the EU, we have managed to shelter the refugees and to support them. Romania offered and continues to offer, in full solidarity, the necessary support for the refugees. Since the beginning of the war, more than 1.5 million Ukrainians have crossed our border – mostly women and children. We strive to assist them in every aspect, from basic needs to educational facilities and integration in the labour market. We are equally committed to continue the humanitarian aid and to support the economic viability of Ukraine through specific measures, such as facilitating the export of Ukrainian grain and enhancing the transit capacity of our railway and of our ports.
The current war brought not only victims and refugees, but also increased the economic disparities and reconfirmed the importance of EU’s energy security. Our actions in this area respond to our common objective of enhancing EU’s resilience in all fields. In particular, Romania welcomes the focus given by the Czech Presidency to advancing the RePowerEU Plan, including on identifying alternatives to Russian fossil fuels imports, by developing infrastructure and domestic energy production, and by harnessing the domestic potential of natural gas. We count on the Czech Presidency to facilitate balanced and flexible solutions, including from a financial perspective, so as to sustain Member States’ efforts along these objectives. In addition, we support the Czech Presidency’s commitment to continue efforts on green transition, by taking on further negotiations on the Fit for 55 package. As we already noticed that the current surge of prices in all fields has a major influence on our economies, the final agreement must strike a balance between ambition, reflection of national circumstances and mitigation of social impact, so as not to deepen the economic disparities between Member States.
Under these parameters, Romania remains firmly committed to meeting the environmental targets set at European level and achieving the de-carbonisation targets by increasing the contribution of renewable energies, ensuring stable back-up from low-carbon sources, such as nuclear energy and natural gas, and achieving a fair transition for all consumers.
We agree with the Czech Presidency that we need to strengthen EU’s defence capabilities and cyberspace security, especially if we want to tackle long-term security threats. In this respect, I would like to mention that Romania is particularly committed and involved in fighting cyber threats, and we hope that the Cybersecurity Competence Centre in Bucharest will bring its contribution to an efficient European cybersecurity ecosystem.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Taking into account that Europe’s long-term prosperity and stability are based on functioning democratic institutions, we also welcome the emphasis placed by the Czech Presidency on the resilience of democratic institutions, especially on those that have a major influence on maintaining and developing our shared values of democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights. Romania fully supports and contributes to consolidating the EU action in these fields.
I would also like to reiterate one of Romania’s priorities in the EU, which is joining the Schengen area. The developments generated by the conflict in Ukraine crisis proved, once more, that Romania has both the capacity and the commitment to face major challenges and ensure an effective management of the EU’s external border. Romania passed in the latest months, when we managed the waves of refugees fleeing from Ukraine, a new resilience and solidarity test and showed that it is up to the task. A positive decision on our accession will only reconfirm formally this assessment. We strongly count on the support of all our EU partners in this demarche.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On 9 May 2022, the Conference on the future of Europe concluded its works. The follow-up stage starts under the mandate of the Czech Presidency and the citizens prioritized EU action in those fields that have a direct impact on their daily life, such as the standard of life, jobs, security, and safety within the EU and in our neighbourhood. So, our task at EU level should be a clear one: act pragmatically, in unity, for the citizens. For a large majority of cases, the proposals issued from the citizens are addressed or could be further addressed by the EU institutions within the current Treaty framework. We need to maximize this potential.
Speaking about our future, EU enlargement should remain one of the key priorities. The current challenges require a continuous engagement with partners from the Western Balkans and from the Eastern associated countries, to ensure that their European path is both tangible and sustainable. And I am glad to see the Czech Presidency on the same wavelength with Romania in this regard. We trust that you will play an important role in bringing the process forward. You can count on our full support for making the best of the French Presidency’s efforts to find a solution and being able to effectively open the accession negotiations with Albania and Republic of North Macedonia.
The enlargement process is and must remain merit-based and driven forward by the progress of our partners in fulfilling the accession criteria, including in terms of aligning their political discourse and their concrete actions to the EU’s foreign policy.
As I was mentioning, the political vision and commitment of all Member States allowed for a positive and historic decision to be taken at the 23rd – 24th June European Council, recognizing the European perspective of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia and granting candidate status to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. Romania will actively support the new candidates in putting into practice their reform processes and making the necessary progress in fulfilling the EU accession criteria and I’m currently appealing to all Member States to do the same.
As you know, in April, I co-organized and co-chaired together with my colleagues from Germany and France, in Berlin, the Conference for the launching of the Moldova Support Platform. It aims at mobilizing concrete international support for the economy and, especially, the democratic reform process in the Republic of Moldova, which is facing a dire multi-dimensional crisis, as a result of the war in Ukraine.
In a few days, on the 15th of July, we will organize the second Moldova Support Conference, the follow-up conference to the one in Berlin, where we will continue and intensify our efforts to support the reforms, which are particularly relevant now, given the Republic of Moldova’s accession path. Romania will focus on organizing this Conference with an accent put on organizing the reform support effort, through the working groups created under this Platform. I hope that the EU member states will attend at relevant level and contribute to this solidarity effort.
Before concluding, I would also like to assure you of Romania’s full support for deepening and further consolidating the transatlantic relationship, which is also one of the main priorities of the Czech Presidency. We strongly believe that a solid EU – US relation is indispensable and mutually beneficial for the security and prosperity of both sides of the Atlantic. And I think there is no coincidence that today Romania is celebrating, together with the United States, the 25th anniversary of our Strategic Partnership.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The EU is going through a challenging period and this requires an increased capacity of the European Union and of the Member States to find common solutions, to act in solidarity and to preserve unity. We need to continue our future actions in this spirit.
Once again, let me wish the Czech Presidency every success in achieving the objective of a stronger and more united Union!
Thank you!
