PM Dancila: 'Assuming EU Council presidency, on schedule; Tariceanu referenced split among parties'

Autor: Mihai Cistelican
Publicat: 25-10-2018 16:19

The Romanian government is on schedule with preparations for assuming the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the statements by national leader Calin Popescu-Tariceanu of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) on this issue referenced a split among the political parties, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said on Thursday.

"His reference was related to the division that exists in the society, to the division between the political parties, and not in the least to the organisational, logistics or programme sides for Romania taking over the rotating presidency," Viorica Dancila told a meeting of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) management when asked for her take on Tariceanu's statements that Romania is not ready to take over the EU Council presidency because of a total political war going on in the country these months. 

She added that she had permanently discussed the latest developments in the preparations for Romania's tenure with both PSD national leader Liviu Dragnea and with Tariceanu. 

"We are on schedule, we are ready, but, once again, the issue raised by Mr Tariceanu referenced this division and a lack of consensus within the political parties. To have a successful presidency, as we all want, I think there must be a consensus among the political parties and between the institutions," Dancila said. 

She denied that there is a lack of consensus between PSD and ALDE, both making up the ruling coalition: "No, the reference was not to that."

Agerpres