RADR2021/Iohannis, Romanian diplomats: Continue steps towards achievement of European ojectives, such as joining Schengen

President Klaus Iohannis asked on Tuesday Romanian diplomats to continue their efforts to achieve the objectives at the European level, such as Romania's accession to the Schengen area. "On all major 'European files,' Romanian diplomacy must increase its capacity to anticipate trends, to identify strategic elements that support the promotion of national interests. I encourage you to come up with initiatives that our country could implement or associate with and put into equation various alliances and partnerships in this sense. Please continue the steps towards achieving our goals at the European level, such as joining the Schengen area," said the head of state. Iohannis also conveyed that Romania must contribute more to the process regarding the EU perspectives. "This pandemic will not be the last challenge for Brussels and the member states. Therefore, we need to better prepare for the future, increase our capacity to anticipate and improve European crisis management mechanisms for future situations. We need, for example, a Health Union and increasing the productivity and capacity of the industry. Digitalization is one of the transformative trends accelerated by the pandemic, along with the need to rethink the size of the transition to a sustainable and green future. This transformation is necessary not only as an adaptation to the crisis but also as an approach to support the resilience of the European Union and the member states, which implies a joint effort, in which the role of each country, including Romania, is essential," Iohannis added. The head of state also asked Romanian diplomats to get involved in the negotiation of NATO's new Strategic Concept. "Please get involved with all your energy and vision in negotiating it. In this complex negotiating process, several priorities must be upheld, such as strengthening NATO's position coherently throughout the Eastern Flank and strengthening the increased strategic focus on the Black Sea area, supporting the partners in the Eastern Neighborhood and developing their capacity to respond adequately to any potential crisis. At the same time, Romania continues to firmly maintain its commitment to allocate 2% of GDP to Defence, necessary for the endowment and modernization of our armed forces," Iohannis said. He underscored that the transatlantic connection is of vital importance for Romania. AGERPRES (RO - author: Florentina Peia, editor: Mihai Simionescu; EN - author: Bogdan Gabaroi, editor: Cristina Zaharia)