Minister-Delegate Negrescu: Romania, Croatia, to promote together EU Strategy for Danube Region during EU Council Presidency

Romania and Croatia will promote together the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region, over the period of their holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Minister delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu stated during a visit he carried out on Monday in Zagreb, the Republic of Croatia, a press release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry sent to AGERPRES informs. 

Minister Negrescu met with Andreja Metelko-Zgombic, State Secretary for European Affairs within the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, with Miro Kovac, the President of the Committee for Foreign Policy of the Croatian Parliament and with Davor Ivo Stier, vice president of the Committee for Foreign Policy of the Croatian Parliament. 

During consultations, Negrescu presented to his partners aspects of the preparation process regarding Romania's taking over, as of 1 January, 2019, of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, underscoring the need to deepen coordination in European affairs, including from the perspective of the two states belonging to the Trio of residencies of the Council of the EU: Romania - Croatia - Finland. 

The talks also revealed the importance of the European Strategy for the Danube Region in consolidating cooperation, by identifying concrete projects to act in support of local communities from both countries. 

Moreover, the talks tackled an exchange of opinions on priority topics on the European agenda, namely the Multi-annual Financial Framework 2021-2027, the EU future, the Brexit process, internal security and the functioning of the Schengen area, the social dimension of the community space and the Union's enlargement process. 

The meetings of the Minister delegate for European Affairs with the Croatian officials reconfirmed the close positioning of the two states in view of identifying the best solutions to ensure the EU functioning through the new community budget architecture, in view of reducing the disparities between the member states and the regions, but also for reforming it so as to better answer its current needs. 

On the sidelines of the visit, the Romanian official also discussed on European topics with the students and teaching staff of the Faculty of Political Science and Law of the Zagreb University, established as far back as 1669.