About: Romanian Presidency Archives

Romania's EU presidency will push to improve the prospect of membership talks for Western Balkan nations of Macedonia (FYROM) and Albania, but only after the European elections in May, the country's European affairs minister told EURACTIV in an interview.

The European Commission warned Romania on Tuesday (22 January) against passing a decree that would provide an easy legal tool to overturn corruption convictions for politicians, including the strongman Liviu Dragnea, leader of the ruling PSD party.

As Romania formally launched its six-month-long presidency of the EU, its foreign affairs chief insisted that the country was prepared to helm the Council ship for the very first time.

Romania's first presidency of the EU Council kicks off in earnest on Thursday (10 January), with the entire Commission swooping on Bucharest for the traditional opening ceremony. But who are the people behind the presidency and who are the main figures in Bucharest setting the Council's agenda for the next six months?

Malta is pushing other European countries to take in around 250 migrants in its care before it will allow dozens of people stuck on two rescue boats to disembark, a government source said Tuesday (8 January).

The interim head of Romania's anti-corruption agency said Tuesday (8 January) she was stepping down, citing a "hostile environment", just as the country takes on the EU's presidency. 

EU affairs ministers met in Brussels on Tuesday (8 January) for the first meeting of 2019 under the helm of the Romanian presidency. Rule of law matters, highly prominent in previous sessions, were off the agenda for the first time.

Romania’s Social Democrat-led government survived a no confidence vote on Thursday (20 December) as expected, days before taking over the European Union’s rotating presidency, but still faces concerns at home and abroad over its attempts to weaken a crackdown on corruption.

Three EU members voted against, five abstained and one didn’t vote during the formal ratification on Wednesday (19 December) in New York of the Global Compact on Migration.

Romania's centre-right President Klaus Iohannis said Tuesday (18 December)  that he will invite himself to meetings of the left-wing cabinet in order to prevent it passing proposed criminal pardons that could benefit prominent politicians. 

Leaders of Romania's left-wing ruling majority on Sunday (16 December) accused the European Union of "discriminatory" treatment, two weeks before the eastern European country takes over the bloc's rotating presidency.

Romanian ambassador to the EU Luminița Odobescu meets with EURACTIV’s Sam Morgan over a coffee to talk about the upcoming Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

In an almost surreal sequence of events, the Romanian government paid a visit to the European Commission on Wednesday (5 December) to discuss the country’s upcoming EU presidency, while the opposition in Bucharest mobilised to oust the ruling coalition.

In order to face the rising cancer incidence across Europe, governments should prioritise prevention policies, as well as access to innovative medicines under an EU-wide plan, Romanian Health Minister Sorina Pintea told EURACTIV.com in an interview.

Romania's Minister for European affairs Victor Negrescu has resigned just weeks before the country takes on the EU's six-month rotating presidency in January, media reported Saturday (10 November).

Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová made it clear today (26 October) that the EU is worried about government attempts in Bucharest to violate the independence of the judiciary, also in the perspective of the upcoming Romanian EU Presidency.

Romania intends to push “price and accessibility” of energy as the guiding principles of its EU Presidency next year – whether it relates to the EU’s 2050 climate goals, the expansion of nuclear power, new gas pipeline projects, or even coal.

The Romanian Justice Minister on Wednesday (24 October) formally asked the president to sack public prosecutor Augustin Lazar, a strong critic of the left-wing ruling party's judicial reforms, just months after the country's top anti-graft prosecutor was also dismissed.

Romania’s Former Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who has left the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) and established his own ProRomania party, blamed EU socialist leaders (PES) for their "guilty silence" over the grave breaches of rule of law by the Romanian government.

The European Union on Tuesday warned Romania to respect EU democratic values before it assumes the bloc's rotating presidency in January, or risk undermining its bid to join Europe's passport-free zone.

A power struggle between Romania's government and judiciary is reaching a tipping point that risks driving a new wedge between the European Union and its eastern members over democratic standards. Justice Minister Tudorel Toader has said he will soon decide the …

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar begins a tour of three European capitals to discuss Brexit and other issues on Monday (23 July), amid signs of continuing division between London, Brussels and Dublin on preparations for a possible no-deal Brexit next year.

In a wide-ranging interview, Victor Negrescu, the Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs, presents the priorities of the upcoming Romanian Presidency (1 January-30 June 2019), during which the European elections will be held, as well as the first post-Brexit EU summit.

As Romania prepares to hold the rotating EU presidency at the start of 2019, EURACTIV met with Dacian Cioloș. The former prime minister and agriculture Commissioner has just set up a party in Romania similar to Emmanuel Macron's En Marche, with one eye on the European elections.