Minister of Foreign Affairs Oana Toiu had a meeting with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola on Thursday, in the context of her visit to Brussels, during which relevant topics on the current agenda of the European Union were addressed, such as the security situation in the region, the Union enlargement process, the negotiations on the future Multiannual Financial Framework of the Union, and the latest developments in the Middle East.
According to a release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) sent to AGERPRES, on the enlargement process, the discussion also focused on the need for constant support for the European path of the candidate states, with the Romanian minister expressing her support for the continued European integration of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as well as of the candidates from the Western Balkans.
At the same time, Minister Oana Toiu stressed Romania's support for a post-2027 budget that is as ambitious as possible, reflecting both the cohesion and convergence objectives and those of competitiveness, responding to the challenges generated by current geopolitical developments. She highlighted, in this context, the fact that the co-decision-making role of the European Parliament is decisive in shaping the future budget, the MAE reports.
The minister of foreign affairs voiced the continuation of Romania's close cooperation with the European Parliament on relevant files on the European agenda, in order to find efficient and unitary solutions to the challenges that the European Union and its member states are currently facing.
"The discussions highlighted the importance that the European Parliament attaches to the objective of strengthening the security and defense dimension in the current geopolitical context, the President of the European Parliament expressing, once again on this occasion, her solidarity with Romania in light of the recent incursions that took place in Romanian airspace, but also in other member states, and noting that these represent a new level of challenges that require determined action," the MAE release reads.
According to the cited source, the discussions also highlighted the constant support that the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, grants to the accession process to the European Union of the candidate states from the Eastern Neighborhood and the Western Balkans, reaffirming the need for the EU to make more progress in advancing the European integration project, especially in terms of accelerating the accession process of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
In this context, Minister Oana Toiu reiterated Romania's commitment to continue supporting Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, including in advancing the European future of the two countries, given the substantial progress made by them in the reform processes, despite the challenges generated by the aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, the MAE emphasizes.
It was agreed to maintain a constant dialogue and direct cooperation that would contribute to advancing the projects on the European agenda, the press release also states.
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