Premium
The speech that President Klaus Iohannis will give on Wednesday to the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg is an opportunity for Romania to strengthen what it has set to at the level of the European Union, MEP Victor Negrescu said on Tuesday.
"I hope Romania takes advantage of this opportunity to profile itself at the European level, to voice its expectations as a state at the level of the European Union, to talk about the problems Romanian farmers have and what we expect from the European Commission, to talk about the Romanians abroad and how we want to amend the European legislation in such a way that they enjoy more rights and opportunities and also talk about the situation in the region, Ukraine, Moldova, and also about how we can make sure that the European funds reach us faster in the country, whether we are talking about structural funds or the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR)," the MEP told Romanian journalists at a meeting in the EP, in Strasbourg.
"This is an opportunity for us to strengthen what we have set to at the level of the European Union and I hope that the president will do these things in this address to the European legislature."
Iohannis will address the plenary session of the European Parliament on Wednesday, during the "This is Europe" debate on an invitation received from the president of the EU legislature, Roberta Metsola.
According to the Presidential Administration, on his trip to Strasbourg, Iohannis will also have consultations with Metsola on EU current affairs and priorities for 2024.
In his speech, the Romanian president will unveil his vision of the solutions to the main challenges that the EU is currently facing and will emphasise the joint actions that have to be undertaken to defend and promote the interests of European citizens, as well as their well-being and security.
The "This is Europe" debate series at the European Parliament started in 2022, shortly after the outbreak of the war against Ukraine. In 2022-2023, 12 such meetings with European leaders took place, with the aim being to reaffirm European values and unity, to strengthen the democratic debate on current affairs and to generate a consistent vision regarding the future of the European design.
