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Prime Minister Viorica Dancila does not believe that President Klaus Iohannis had much involvement in Romania's managing the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and yet the head of state "makes believe the good results results good is due."
"I do not think President Iohannis had much involvement in what the rotating presidency was, but now he is making believe the good results are due to him, which does not seem right to me (...) The President had known from the outset the stage of preparations for taking over the rotating presidency, for I had a discussion with President Iohannis before taking over the rotating presidency. I explained that we are well prepared that we have files in each area (...) that we know which files will be closed and that there will be a smooth transition to the Romanian presidency, that I know how the European institutions work because nine years I was a MEP; and yet he came out with those statements that actually caused image damage and I think that was not fair. Moreover, I saw the President was very pleased with the congratulations he received, but at the same time he did not cooperate with the Romanian government for the time Romania held the rotating presidency; we did not even discuss important files. (...) I would have expected the President to call, to contact the Romanian Government on some important topics," Dancila told DC News.
She added that Iohannis did not get in touch with her even after the Romanian presidency of the EU Council was over, and that there should have been more institutional co-operation on certain subjects so that Romania could stand to gain more.
"I tried, and I believe that more co-operation was needed to get some good things for Romania, such as joining the Schengen Area. I was hoping the president at the summit in Sibiu would raise this issue, or at least, that he would at least have a reaction when others were saying that will not happen," added Dancila.
