Speaker Dragnea says Romania should endorse the organisation of a Conference for Europe

Speaker of the Deputies' Chamber and Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Liviu Dragnea says he agrees with the message conveyed by France's President Emmanuel Macron regarding the EU and points out that Romania should endorse "the organisation of a Conference for Europe, (...) it should actively get involved in this project." "I read the message of France's President, Mr Emmanuel Macron! The European Union should return to the values and principles it was built on - from the fundamental human rights to social and economic cohesion. President Macron proposes banning political parties' funding by foreign powers. I totally agree! Including indirect and non-transparent funding through propaganda campaigns supported by front organizations," Liviu Dragnea wrote on his Facebook page. The Social-Democrat leader says he "totally agrees" and that there should be European rules banning the incitement to hatred and violence on the Internet. "Perhaps, if President Iohannis read the message of his French counterpart, he would understand that hatred and violence cannot be part of the register of 'political views'," Dragnea added. Moreover, he also says that he "totally agrees with the reformation of the Schengen Area, that would include all the member states and especially Romania, which provides secure border towards the Middle East." "I totally agree with a pan-European defence and security treaty, together with NATO. Romania is already in its third year in which it observes the commitment to earmark 2 percent of the GDP to Defence. I totally agree with the sanctioning and even banning of companies that don't pay their taxes correctly in the states where they profit, that don't observe environmental standards and offer poor quality products in Eastern European countries," Dragnea wrote. The creation of an "European preference" in terms of competition, protecting the political life of external interference and cyber attacks, an European security Council including the UK or the revision of the Schengen Agreement represent the main proposals presented by President Emmanuel Macron in a platform article called "European Renaissance," published Monday evening in the media of the EU member states, the AFP reports. The French head of state also proposes, by the end of the year, together with representatives of European institutions and member states, the establishment of a Conference for Europe, in order to propose "all necessary changes for our political project, without taboos — not even the revision of treaties." President Macron says that this conference should allow the citizens' participation and the consultation of the academia, social partners, religious and spiritual representatives. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Florea, editor: Andreea Rotaru; EN - author: Rodica State, editor: Cristina Zaharia)