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For Romania, accession to the European Union has meant an important step on the road towards sustainable development and the opening towards a new social model, towards new perspectives benefiting all the citizens of this country, floor leader of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania's (UDMR) deputies Csoma Botond declared on Wednesday.
"There are 15 years since Romania's accession to the European Union. After 1990, joining the North Atlantic Alliance and the EU were the key goals of our country. (...) 15 years have passed since and we were witness to major transformations. These have been 15 years of developing and strengthening democracy, but there have also been some sore points. And I am referring here in the first place to certain aspects regarding the rights of the minorities in this country," the UDMR deputy told the solemn sitting of Parliament dedicated to the 15th anniversary of Romania's accession to the European Union.
He underscored that "the biggest benefit of accession were the European funds meant to contribute to the country's development and to bridging the gaps to the original Union members, but Romania did not always manage to entirely attract the amounts allocated by Brussels, holding a laggard position among the EU countries in this regard."
According to the UDMR deputy, another advantage is the free movement within the EU, although this also meant the departure of millions of Romanians in search for work in other European countries.
The UDMR leader went on to note that the cooperation of EU member states must remain pragmatic, aimed at the common development of societies and the strengthening of the Union's global position, cautioning that at a time of rising extremist tendencies and amid attempts to spark an armed conflict at the EU's eastern border, more unity and dialogue are needed, Agerpres.ro informs.
Csoma Botond concluded by reminding that through the commitments pledged 15 years ago, at the moment of its EU accession, Romania sets itself as a goal to contribute to the consolidation of this European construction and to shielding it against all the dangers that might appear. "We, the citizens, we, the responsible decision-makers, we, the Europeans, can do it," the UDMR deputy said.
