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Romania's Culture Minister Lucian Romascanu has introduced to his EU counterparts meeting in Angers, France, the objectives and interests of Romania in a united Europe "still facing major challenges."
He attended an informal meeting of the Council of Ministers of Culture in Angers, during which a message was signed urging a swift end to the conflict in Ukraine. The contribution of Romania to the reception and support of Ukrainian refugees was also underlined.
"These were full days that gave us the opportunity to communicate the successes and the problems of the Romanian cultural sector and to clearly present our objectives and interests in a united Europe that is still facing major challenges," Romascanu is quoted as saying in a press statement released by the Romanian Ministry of Culture.
The two-day schedule included meetings with French Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot and Vice-President of the European Commission Vera Jurova, Agerpres.ro informs.
Discussed at the meeting with Bachelot were support for the programmes proposed by the French Presidency of the EU Council, especially those in the area of mass media and audiovisual, heritage and reading support, as well as France's support for organising a major Picasso exhibition in Bucharest, at the Bucharest-based Museum of Recent Art. Talks for the establishment of a Romanian-French cultural fund to the benefit of the Romanian cultural sector continued.
Discussions with the vice-president of the European Commission focused on how to support the press both against big platforms and by offering protection against undue influences and fake news.
"We insisted and found openness to identify how to set up funds at European and local level, from various sources, to support the development of the media and for a fair financial compensation of journalists," said Romascanu.
Romania's accession to the Schengen area was also discussed. "Access to Schengen should become a reality in a very short time, and lifting the co-operation and verification mechanism is near, which will be replaced with conditions similar to those of other European countries," according to Romascanu.
