#Romania2019.eu/PM Dancila: Romania approached EU Presidency term as mission in service of European citizens

More than anything else, Romania has approached its term at the Presidency of the Council of the EU as a mission in the service of the European citizens, Premier Viorica Dancila said on Friday evening in her address in the opening of the gala concert of the Romanian Youth Orchestra organised at the Romanian Athenaeum to mark the end of Romania's tenure of the EU Presidency. "Today, almost two weeks after the formal conclusion of our term, we can proudly say that we have every reason to celebrate. We have achieved what we have set ourselves to, we proved efficiency, performance, balance and delivered one of the most prestigious European presidencies. We have proven that more than anything else, Romania has approached this term as a mission in the service of the European citizens. We have built all our actions around the concept of cohesion. We have worked in this spirit and succeeded in achieving important results, in terms of quality and quantity, for the European citizens and in maintaining unity in support of the European project," Viorica Dancila said. The Prime Minister added that during its term Romania has succeeded in consolidating the social dimension of the European Union. "We have strengthened the social dimension of the European Union because a strong Europe is a Europe of prosperous citizens whose equal rights are guaranteed and respected. We have placed cohesion at the heart of our actions because the success of the EU is the success of each member state, of each region, of each community. A developed Europe provides equal opportunities and unrestricted access to resources for everyone. We advocated more solidarity in the European community, because in a Europe that is prepared to successfully face change, no one must be left behind. We have involved all the partners in consultations and debate, because a safe Europe is the one where everyone's opinions are respected. We have involved the youth in decision-making because a secure future is built through accountability. We fought for a European Union of everyone, because a strong community is a community that promotes unity in diversity and has no place for hate, discrimination and violence. We have brought back to the forefront the European community's fundamental social values which unite and hold together over 500 million citizens, because a strong Europe is the one that reinforces its foundation," Dancila went on to say. The head of the Bucharest Executive pointed out that the challenges to the rotating presidency have been multiple: particularly high-stake files, the negotiation of the future Multiannual Financial Framework and the Brexit process. "Cohesion was the basic principle, our constant guiding thread in approaching and settling the files in the works," she added. The Premier also made a brief review of the Romanian EU Presidency, mentioning that 90 files were closed in the first three months of the term, 84 Council conclusions were adopted and consensus was reached on many decisions. "All this was accomplished in about 2,500 meetings. These are flagship files for the European project, with results and direct impact on the lives of the European citizens in important walks of life: society, energy, economy, finance, digital services, environment and climate change, agriculture, European values and freedoms, the combat of misinformation. From the simplest to the most complex, they all have implications in our everyday lives and contribute to the evolution of the European society. We are talking about defining the post-2020 European Union budget, the functioning of the European Single Market and the competitiveness of European industry, boosting the digitalization of the European industry and the development of artificial intelligence, reinforcing social rights, strengthening the internal security agenda, continuing the fight against terrorism, managing the challenges posed by migration, shaping the future of the EU," Dancila said. She pointed out that "European Romania has proven its maturity," delivering "results above expectations, in a complicated European context." "The results obtained open up new opportunities for Romania. We now have a consolidated position at European level. This is one of Romania's major gains as an EU member state. The government has acted with the utmost seriousness and full commitment and together with the European partners and the expert teams we have succeeded in giving substance to the European and domestic agenda. We had a successful Presidency and it's not just us who say this. Our European partners appreciate our results and the rich pro-European tally achieved by the Romanian government together with the team of diplomats, experts and professional negotiators. The Romanians can be proud, we have lived up to the challenge," PM Dancila said. She also thanked everybody involved in Romania's smoothly exercising its term at the Presidency of the Council of the EU. "For the effort and dedication proven in these extremely intense months, I thank you all: ministers, ministerial teams and all the institutions involved, Romania's Permanent Representation to the EU, the members of the Romanian Parliament, the colleagues in the local administration, volunteers and all those who have been at our side. I offer thanks to each member of this Presidency's team for their dedication, adroitness and for the energy invested in carrying through this true country project, the most important since our joining the European Union. (...) We have written an important page of Romania's European history. We succeeded in doing this together, Romania's European team and our European partners, and we have proved once again that together we are strong," Dancila said. Attending the event at the Athenaeum were, among others, Ambassador Luminita Odobescu - Romania's permanent representative to the EU, former President Emil Constantinescu, former Prime Ministers Adrian Nastase and Petre Roman, members of the Dancila Government, presidential advisor Leonard Orban, Social Democrat MPs and MEPs, denomination representatives, ambassadors accredited in Bucharest. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Florea, editor: Andreea Rotaru; EN - author/editor: Simona Klodnischi)