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President Klaus Iohannis met on Monday at the Cotroceni Palace with European Commissioner for the Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, taking the opportunity to request flexibility as regards the 2014-2020 financial resources left unspent, so that they be used for handling the inflow of Ukrainian refugees, the Presidential Administration informs.
According to the cited source, the talks focused mainly on the situation arising from the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine, including from the perspective of the economic impact on the European Union and the member states, the challenges posed by managing refugee flows and the situation in the Republic of Moldova. The situation of energy prices, following the discussions and decisions taken at the European Council meeting last week, the stage of the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, as well as the budgetary situation were also addressed.
President Iohannis highlighted the major impact of the security crisis in Ukraine on the entire region, stressing under the circumstances the need to step up joint European efforts to further support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, the cited source said, Agerpres.ro informs.
The head of the state presented the efforts made by Romania so far in terms of direct humanitarian assistance for Ukraine and steps to manage and assist the refugees.
"President Iohannis praised the good cooperation with the European Commission and asked for flexibility as regards the financial resources left unspent from the 2014-2020 financing period, so that they be used to manage the refugee flow," the Presidential Administration said.
Following energy talks at last week's European Council meeting, President Iohannis brought to mind the member states' decision to reduce dependence on the Russian Federation, emphasizing also the need for investment in developing infrastructure and member states' interconnection to allow tapping into other sources.
"Regarding the situation of high energy prices which remain a major concern for the next period, including from the perspective of their impact on inflation, President Klaus Iohannis mentioned that he is waiting for the European Commission's proposals of solutions to limit the consequences of rising gas prices on electricity prices," the Presidential Administration said.
The head of the state also insisted on the European Commission's support in identifying and presenting a comprehensive assistance package for the Republic of Moldova, consisting both of humanitarian and financial support, as well as for border or energy management.
President Iohannis also referred to the stage of the implementation of Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan and explained Romania's decision to increase military spending, calling for flexibility in approaching budget rules.
European Commissioner for the Economy Paolo Gentiloni expressed his appreciation for the way Romania has handled the current situation, both as regards aid to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, and the refugee situation.
"The European official expressed the European Commission's openness to working with the Romanian authorities in order to support, including financially, the national efforts caused by the current situation and to identify new resources," the cited source said.
The European Commissioner emphasized the importance of the Romanian authorities implementing the National Recovery and Resilience Plan as a source of economic growth, noting that the European Union must invest in energy and in joint defense, in close correlation with NATO, as a way to meet current challenges and ensure the Union's autonomy.
