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The European Union needs a pragmatic approach, with visible objectives and tangible results, ahead of the elections to the European Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Ana Birchall said on Monday.
"From our point of view, the Union needs a pragmatic approach with visible objectives and tangible results, showing added value that can not be denied for the European project. This approach is important therefore as we prepare for the elections to the European Parliament, the result will have an important impact on our institutions and, of course, on European policies as a consequence. As Euro-skepticism discourages and gains ground in many member states, it will be important to secure a majority in the European Parliament to support the project of advancement within the EU and, in this context, the elections to the European Parliament must be used to promote the EU's consolidation goals based on fundamental principles," Ana Birchall specified at the end of the meeting of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union.
The Romanian Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that another important aspect in view of the elections to the European Parliament is the increase in the number of voters, especially among younger generations, by raising the awareness of the relevance of the European elections.
"We have to influence the future of the EU, the policies, and here I welcome the initiative to have a debate of the citizens, among the citizens. We have debates in Romania and I am convinced that these debates are taking place in several member states and these debates will be very important for the Summit in Sibiu. Building resilience and fighting against influence campaigns, fighting cyber attacks, ensuring greater transparency are very important issues We need to address all these issues effectively, all these aspects in the context of the European values. I am convinced that, during the Presidency, we will work closely with everyone - with the European Parliament, with the member states - to carry out the joint actions. I assure you that our Presidency [of the EU Council - ed.n.] is sending a message focused on strengthening the EU, our approach brings the support of the European citizens within the European project and for the European values," the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Ana Birchall mentioned that Romania is one of the pro-European countries with a pro-EU orientation of 52 percent as compared to an average of 43 percent at the level of the Union, according to the barometer of December 2018.
"Confidence in the European Union is stable and most respondents consider that they are European citizens and this should be promoted at the next elections as well. (...) Although it is difficult to predict how the elections will take place, one thing is clear - we must use the period left until the election to the European Parliament to implement decisions and to create measures so as to demonstrate to the citizens that there is a clear perspective for the future of our Union, these goals and this commitment must be at the political level for us all. For Romania the next six months represent an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to this project, which remains the framework for sustainable development for citizens and for the member states ... (...) Please join in this confidence in important moments not only for the member states but also for the future of the EU. Thus, I think our actions at European level involve staying together, staying united, together we will become more powerful after these elections," Birchall stressed.
AGERPRES .
