President Iohannis to attend extraordinary European Council meeting in Brussels

Romania's President Klaus Iohannis will attend an extraordinary European Council meeting on Monday and Tuesday in Brussels to call for a swift and uniform implementation of digital green certificates at European level, reiterating the idea that they should not impinge on the exercise of the fundamental right of citizens to free movement. The main topics on the European Council meeting's agenda are co-ordination at European Union level amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, fighting against climate change, the European Union's relations with Russia and the United Kingdom. According to a statement from the Presidential Administration, as far as the COVID-19 pandemic is concerned, Iohannis will endorse ensuring close coordination among member states, as well as maintaining a vigilant approach. "President Klaus Iohannis will advocate for a swift and uniform implementation of digital green certificates at European level, reiterating the idea that they should not affect the exercise of the fundamental right of citizens to free movement. The President of Romania will also endorse making operational, as soon as possible, a European mechanism for donating vaccines to countries outside the European Union," says the Presidential Administration. Iohannis will underscore the need to create a flexible legal framework for combating climate change enabling the member states of the European Union to identify the best solutions to achieve the European Union's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 as against 1990. "The President of Romania will also call for ensure an equitable sharing of efforts, so that the contributions of each member state, especially in terms of costs, may not become an obstacle to their economic development," the Presidential Administration said. Regarding the relations between the European Union and the Russian Federation, Iohannis will advocate for a unity and solidarity approach on the part of the European Union based on the five previously agreed guiding principles. He will also advocate for the need to draw up a European Union strategic document on the future approach to relations with the Russian Federation. Iohannis will emphasise, in relation to the European Union's relations with the UK, the need for the European Union to maintain a constructive approach based on the principles of unity, solidarity and non-discrimination. "On the other hand, with regard to the differential treatment applied by the British authorities to European citizens regarding work visa fees, the President of Romania will insist that the European Union member states and institutions take sustained steps to persuade the British authorities to apply a non-discriminating treatment towards all the citizens of the European Union," the Presidential Administration also shows. AGERPRES (RO - author: Florentina Peia, editor: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)