Exclusive: Romania's President Dan pushes for Moldova and Ukraine’s EU bid, challenging Hungary

Romanian President Nicușor Dan joined a increasing question of EU leaders connected Tuesday by announcing that pursuing Moldova’s decisive pro-European ballot successful Sunday’s parliamentary elections, “technical negotiations” for EU accession volition present statesman “even if the negotiations are not officially launched,” fixed Romania’s peculiar narration with Moldova.

The Romanian president besides appears to enactment an EU situation to Hungary’s powerfulness to veto Ukraine’s EU accession, calling it a question of “loyal EU cooperation”, but helium remains hopeful a “middle ground” tin beryllium found.

“I anticipation the negotiations volition beryllium officially launched, but if not, they volition instrumentality spot successful specified a mode that, from a structural and administrative constituent of view, Moldova volition beryllium acceptable for accession arsenic soon arsenic possible,” Dan told Euronews and Euronews Romania successful a wide-ranging interrogation connected Tuesday, earlier heading to the informal EU acme successful Copenhagen.

Romania is actively supporting Moldova and Ukraine’s EU accession, President Dan repeated. However, Ukraine’s accession negotiations stay vetoed by Hungary, sparking a governmental showdown with the remainder of the EU states.

“What volition hap is that, careless of the discourse oregon the ceremonial timetable for negotiations, galore issues volition beryllium discussed successful method negotiations with Moldova,” the Romanian president stated firmly.

In the associated interrogation with Euronews and Euronews Romania, Dan said that determination is simply a emblematic ceremonial timetable for Moldova and Ukraine’s accession negotiations, but that helium is “very, precise optimistic that Moldova volition articulation the European Union” aft the Moldovans' “absolutely commendable” ballot amid a Russian disinformation onslaught.

According to Romania’s president, Russia “exerted unit connected aggregate levels” successful Moldova, including “narratives specified arsenic the ones which accidental the West is preparing to commencement a warfare with Russia oregon that the radical are preparing to spell to war”.

“I saw this happening precise intensely successful Moldova, and the section radical judged rationally for their future,” Dan said.

'We indispensable find a mode to negociate for immoderate mediate ground'

Yet Dan chose to beryllium much nuanced astir the aforesaid method process regarding Ukraine, some due to the fact that of Hungary’s veto, but also, a novelty, due to the fact that of what helium called a “pending discussion” astir agriculture.

According to the Romanian president, “Ukraine has important cultivation production, which would unbalance the existing (EU) mechanisms."

"On the different hand, Ukraine does not presently conscionable the standards that we enforce connected the cultivation assemblage successful the European Union," Dan said.

"So the discussions taking spot are that, successful presumption of agriculture, Ukraine should person a peculiar presumption truthful that it tin proceed to marque important exports to non-European countries while, successful each different clusters, it should beryllium treated arsenic an equal."

"Of course, Ukraine presently has an adjacent bigger problem, but 1 that concerns america all, namely the war," helium pointed out.

But, adjacent if Romania has beardown relations with Hungary, the Romanian president chose to beryllium crystal wide astir Hungary’s veto regarding Ukraine.

“We indispensable find a mode to negotiate” for “some mediate ground,” Dan said. However, yet the full governmental clash comes down to “loyal cooperation” of EU countries together, coupled with the rule of sovereignty.

“In my opinion, astatine slightest astatine this point, determination is nary question of eliminating the veto powerfulness of countries, successful principle. But connected definite issues that are, truthful to speak, much operational, we indispensable of people beryllium capable to marque decisions,” the Romanian person said successful nary uncertain presumption successful the interrogation with Euronews and Euronews Romania.

In his logic, “the Treaty connected European Union requires, and this is besides expressly stated, loyal cooperation. A systematic veto does not mean loyal cooperation. However, establishing this means going to the Court of Justice, which takes time, and that is wherefore we request to find diplomatic ways to determination forward,” President Dan told Euronews.

He added that this concern is linked to “an aged statement wrong the national astir the decision-making process,” namely that “this rule of unanimity reflects a rule of sovereignty.”

“When countries joined the European Union, the warrant was, oregon astatine slightest the pact said, that they were sovereign countries. And past deciding for different countries connected behalf of 1 state would beryllium a usurpation of sovereignty. That is 1 extreme," Dan pointed out.

"The different utmost is that when, for example, we speech astir money, yes, it is precise morganatic for countries that lend financially to person a say, that countries that bash not lend oregon lend precise small should not beryllium capable to artifact a process of directing funds to a origin that galore countries want."

"Here, obviously, I deliberation it is morganatic that determination should beryllium nary anticipation of veto. And now, betwixt these 2 extremes, determination is politics, we person authorities wrong the European Union. We indispensable find a mode to negotiate,” Romania’s president concluded.

Romania is among the eastbound European countries whose airspace has been violated by the Russian Federation implicit the past weeks.

Romania's Dan praised “the very, precise speedy and factual effect from NATO subordinate countries” to these violations, saying that the effect sent “a connection to the citizens of these countries that things are nether control.”

When asked astir Romania’s strategy to antagonistic the Russian incursions into Romania’s airspace, Dan said that pursuing authorities upgrades Romania present has “the benignant of effect that defines our countermeasures” which involves “Romanian aerial forces connected missions successful different countries and overseas aerial forces connected missions successful Romania, precisely to nonstop a awesome of deterrence for immoderate benignant of imaginable attack.”