Minister-delegate Negrescu says Romania endorses agreement on Brexit which doesn't discriminate citizens

Minister-delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu participated on Friday in Brussels in meeting of the General Affairs Council (Article 50) in the EU 27 format, organised following the initiation of the process on UK's withdrawal from the European Union.

The meeting agenda included the presentation of the current stage of negotiations with the UK, a release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) sent to AGERPRES informs.

EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier presented the results of the most recent round of negotiations with the UK, carried out between 16 and 19 July, who tackled all the aspects of the withdrawal agreement that haven't yet been solved, the situation of the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland and the framework of the future EU-UK relations.

The Minister-delegate hailed the publication of the British Gov't of the White Paper on the Future Relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, which presents in detail the UK's negotiation standpoint and offers clarity in certain specific areas. At the same time, the Romanian official revealed the importance of a thorough analysis at the EU 27 level in light of the European Council orientations of 23 March.

In his speech, the Minister-delegate for European Affairs also voiced support for the negotiation team, in view of meeting the common objective of Romania and the EU, that of agreeing on the withdrawal agreement in its entirety, in order to ensure the premises of an orderly and predictable exit of the UK. Negrescu also underscored the importance of maintaining the EU unity, as well as the need to quickly identify an operative solution, in order to avoid the hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, the MAE mentions.

"I have reiterated Romania's major priorities which are aimed at the adequate implementation of the provisions regarding the citizens' rights, so that all European citizens, including Romanians, benefit from support during the process of obtaining their new status. It's essential that all the categories of citizens be able to exercise their rights in a non-discriminatory manner, in full accordance with the provisions included in the withdrawal agreement," Victor Negrescu stated, as quoted in the release.

The British Gov't started the withdrawal procedure from the EU on 29 March 2017, after a popular referendum organised in June 2016 in the UK which decided the withdrawal of this country from the Union. The negotiations for establishing the UK's withdrawal terms may take up to two years, but on 30 March 2019, during the period when Romania holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU, the UK will lose its membership of the community block.

The MAE, through the structure coordinated by the Minister-delegate for European Affairs, created on 22 March 2017 an inter-ministerial mechanism for the preparation of Romania's mandates and for pursuing the negotiations for UK's withdrawal from the European Union. It implies meetings at the level of sectoral working groups; at the level of coordination between the MAE and the Public Finance Ministry and high level meetings. The Inter-ministerial Council for Brexit, a governmental body that adopts the political lines for defining Romania's standpoints in the negotiations between the EU 27 and the UK, is headed by the Prime Minister of Romania and it is coordinated by the Minister-delegate for European Affairs. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Rodica State, editor: Adina Panaitescu)