PM Viorica Dăncilă has talked to president Klaus Iohannis about the proposal the Romania government is to advance for the position of European Commissioner.
“I asked the President to have a common stance on the upcoming portfolio”, Dancila said in a press conference in Braila on Friday.
FM Melescanu has recently stated that he is not very optimistic that Romania will take over „a major portfolio”, as it would be the third time happening this, after our country had held the Agriculture and Regional Development portfolios in the past.
Asked to comment Melescanu’s statements, PM Dancila replied: “It is his opinion, not mine”.
The prime minister has already had some talks in Brussels on the EU Commissioner, but a final decision will be taken only after Ursula von der Leyen is officially validated at the helm of the European Commission.
“Until then, I can only talk to my counterparts to endorse us for a portfolio. I have also discussed with the President, asking him to have a common stance on the portfolio”, Dancila said.
Romania has held the seat of EU Commissioner for Agriculture, through Dacian Ciolos, and the EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, through Corina Cretu.
However, PM Dancila has voiced her criticism against Romania’s previous two commissioners, arguing the person to be designated now must by carefully chosen for “the Romanians who were commissioners in the past hadn’t done much to help the country”.
“We’ll fight until the last moment to obtain an important portfolio in Brussels. We are waiting for the EC President to be voted (…) We must be very careful whom we are sending to Brussels. It is true the next commissioner must have an impartial approach, yet he/she must do something for Romania. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen how the former commissioner we sent to Brussels had helped Romania”, Dancila argued.
At the same time, she denied intention to take over this future EU Commissioner seat. “Definitely not, I don’t want,” Dancila added. “I don’t want to run, I would not let my colleagues from PSD and leave, it is out of the question”.