Minister-delegate for European Affairs Ana Birchall, on Thursday, had a meeting with the European Commission’s Chief-negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier, according to the article 50 of the Treaty regarding the European Union (EU), a release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) informs.
The discussions between the two officials mainly focused on the preparation and unfolding process of negotiation entailed by the UK leaving the EU, as well as on concrete aspects of the cooperation between Romanian authorities and the structure led by Michel Barnier, in the perspective of Romania taking over the rotational Presidency of the Council of the EU, in the first semester of 2019.
The Romanian official referred to the preparation stage, on an internal level, for Romania taking over this responsibility, that will probably overlap with an advanced stage of the process targeting the effective exit of the UK from the Union, the quoted source points out.
In the same context, the Minister-delegate for European Affairs presented the responsibilities incumbent on her portfolio, including the European Affairs coordination system.
Within the meeting, Minister-delegate Ana Birchall highlighted Romania’s interest to have a constructive role within the future negotiations between the UK and the EU, by observing the principles agreed on an European level, as well as the interest that the European negotiation mandate to reflect the main concerns of Romania. Ana Birchall reiterated Romania’s support for a balanced approach in negotiations with the British side and underlined the necessity that the provisions of the future agreement to ensure the protection of Romanian citizens’ rights and interests, who live and work on the UK territory, the MAE release mentions.
Moreover, the visit offered the occasion to reconfirm Romania’s commitment for a pro-active involvement in identifying the most suitable and inclusive solutions for strengthening the European project and advancing European integration, in the context in which the debate regarding the Union’s future is underway.
