Ex-Premier Dacian Ciolos stated on Tuesday, in a debate on Romania’s presidency of the Council of the European Union, that the way our country “will be able to matter in this process” will also depend on the political situation and on the credibility of the Government and of the members of Government at that moment, pointing out that this aspect is very important so that “the other, more influential member states would listen to you.”
“The way in which Romania will be able to matter in this process will also depend on the political situation and the credibility of the Government and of the members of Government at that moment. Of the Government as a whole at a political level, and the credibility and notoriety of the ministers who will preside the Council, because that position confers certain legitimacy: you’re the president of the Council, and it’s important to round off that legitimacy with a legitimacy that stems from your history as a person appointed there, from the way you know things and your capacity to negotiate, to make yourself listened by the others. (…) The credibility you have as a Government is very important so that the other, more influential member states would listen to you,” the ex-Premier stated.
Ciolos pointed out that Romania “is obligated by destiny” to undertake, in the following period, a certain vision on the European Union, something that “we pretty much avoided doing ever since we joined the EU.”
“For many people and especially for politicians it’s probably more comfortable to fuel this idea of European periphery: we are on the periphery, we don’t really matter. When you are on the periphery you can still take a step back. We haven’t really undertaken a central role. (…) When you don’t have ambitions, when you don’t have a vision, you certainly have no way of influencing things and then you become solely a consumer of European policies. This time we will somehow be put in the position of undertaking the role of producer of ideas, of European policies too,” Ciolos pointed out.
Romania will hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union in January-June 2019, a period in which the United Kingdom may effectively leave the EU.
