President Klaus Iohannis stated in Berlin on Friday that he had proposed during the meeting with German chancellor Merkel, Belgian and Luxembourg PMs setting up a European agency for countering terrorism.
“During the meetings I proposed a concrete action, for the time being it’s just a proposal, meaning to set up an European agency for countering terrorism. It would be a concrete action that would replace the multiple entities which are dealing with preventing the terror attacks. I believe it could really increase not only the security properly but also the security feeling inside Europe,” the Romanian president stated in a press conference held at the Romania’s Embassy in Berlin, Mediafax reports.
At the same time, Klaus Iohannis said that there is “a large consensus” related to the actions of countering terrorism and that in the near future, some very concrete actions to improve the situation would definitely take shape at European level.
The President added that the European Union’s domestic and foreign security is a main topic in the European national debates, while reminding that there have been too many terror acts in the EU.
In preparing the summit in Bratislava, which will take place on September 16, President Klaus Iohannis had talks in Berlin on September 9 with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Belgium Prime Minister Charles Michel and the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel.
President Iohannis also had a telephone conversation recently with the President of the European Council Donald Tusk about the preparation of the European Council informal meeting in Bratislava in the EU-27 format, which will debate on the EU future after the Brexit.
Later on Sunday, the Presidency’s spokesperson, Mădălina Puşcalău Dobrovolschi, referring to the proposal advanced to Angela Merkel on the agency for countering terrorism, said that the head of state underscored the need of a single institution in this field.
“Romania’s President didn’t say that there is no such institution, authority to deal with countering terrorism on European level. He was stressing precisely that there are a series of such bodies and the need to create a body that would piece out data bases, maybe working tools for a better efficiency in this field so that results can be more productive,” Iohannis’ spokesperson pointed out.
The EU will not break up due to migration crisis
In another train of thoughts, the Romanian President talked about the migraiton crisis in an interview with Deutsche Welle, sayinng that there is no real risk for the European Union to break up because of the migration crisis. “From my point of view, this danger doesn’t exist. Personally I am pro-European, just like most Romanians. (…) I am convinced that the Union will find solutions to this crisis, just as it did for other crises too. I don’t see the danger of the EU breaking up as an effect of the migration crisis,” the President said in the interview, after the meeting he had in Berlin with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Klaus Iohannis said that Romania is getting actively involved in the settlement of the migration crisis, despite “its being neither a target country, nor a transit country for migrants.”
“Even if at first we vetoed the mandatory quotas, because we didn’t consider this to be a solution, once the decision was passed, we observed it. We received migrants, of course, those who wanted to come to Romania, and I must say their number isn’t high. Only few wanted to be transferred from Greece or Italy to Romania. But still we did this, and it’s just a small part of Romania’s contribution to solving the migrant crisis. One thing that maybe isn’t broadly known (…) is the major role of the FRONTEX agency Romania is the second most important contributor to, with both logistics and qualified staff. Germany is contributor No. 1,” the President pointed out.
Questioned on the possibility that migrants use a Black Sea route to enter the European space, President Iohannis answered this is an unlikely scenario, but that “should such attempts occur,” the authorities are ready to intervene.