FE: Participarea ministrului afacerilor externe, Oana Țoiu, la evenimentul de lansare la București a Președinției daneze a Consiliului UE
Ministrul afacerilor externe al României, Oana Țoiu, a participat marți, 1 iulie 2025, la evenimentul de lansare la București a Președinției daneze a Consiliului UE, care își exercită mandatul în cursul semestrului al doilea al acestui an. La reuniune au participat ambasadorul Danemarcei în România, Uffe Balslev, șefi de misiune și reprezentanți ai corpului diplomatic acreditat la București, precum și reprezentanți ai presei.
În cadrul evenimentului, ministrul afacerilor externe a evidențiat sprijinul României pentru un mandat de succes al Președinției daneze, arătând că este în interesul tuturor statelor membre şi al instituțiilor europene ca acest mandat să contribuie la o Europă mai unită, mai sigură şi mai rezilientă, într-un context european şi global dificil.
Ministrul afacerilor externe a exprimat încrederea României într-o agendă de priorități solidă, care să răspundă principalelor provocări cu care UE se confruntă și care să pregătească acțiunea europeană pentru viitor. Raportându-se la motto-ul noii Președinții daneze a Consiliului UE, ministrul afacerilor externe a arătat că răspunsul la un context global în schimbare este, deopotrivă, o oportunitate de schimbare a Europei în mai bine, mai aproape de cetățeni, sens în care a pledat pentru continuarea demersurilor comune în această direcție.
A exprimat sprijinul României pentru prioritățile la nivel european vizând consolidarea securității europene, a modelului democratic european bazat pe respectarea principiilor statului de drept și a unei construcții economice și sociale incluzive. A evidențiat, în context, sprijinul pentru obiectivul unei Europe mai sigure, enunțat de Președinția daneză, și a accentuat importanța unui răspuns european eficient în fața amenințărilor hibride. A punctat, deopotrivă, relevanța unei acțiuni europene consolidate în domeniul apărării, în complementaritate cu NATO și cu menținerea unei relații transatlantice solide în actualul context internațional.
Ministrul afacerilor externe s-a referit, de asemenea, la importanța continuării sprijinului pentru Ucraina și a salutat accentul plasat de Președinția daneză asupra acestui obiectiv, inclusiv în ceea ce privește parcursul european, perspectiva post conflict și reconstrucția Ucrainei.
Ministrul român al afacerilor externe a salutat viziunea daneză angajată către dinamizarea procesului de extindere și a menționat angajamentul clar prevăzut de această dimensiune reflectat în Programul de Guvernare, cu obiectivul unei Europe lărgite, care să depășească frontierele României, în mai puțin de o decadă. A arătat că Președinția daneză va avea în România un partener deplin conștient de necesitatea geopolitică a avansării extinderii UE, atât din perspectiva aderării partenerilor estici, Republica Moldova și Ucraina, cât și a Balcanilor de Vest, pe baza meritelor proprii. De asemenea, a exprimat importanța continuării sprijinului multidimensional al Uniunii Europene pentru Republica Moldova.
Totodată, ministrul Oana Țoiu a punctat interesul deosebit al României pentru avansarea eforturilor europene la nivel regional pentru consolidarea securității în zona Mării Negre. În acest sens, a oferit asigurări privind implicarea activă și consistentă a României în demersul de implementare a priorităților definite prin noua Strategie europeană privind Marea Neagră.
Referindu-se la pilonul dedicat competitivității UE inclus în programul Președinției daneze a Consiliului UE, ministrul afacerilor externe al României a evidențiat importanța consolidării Pieței Unice, a eficienței și securității energetice, de o manieră incluzivă și accesibilă pentru toți cetățenii, precum și importanța convergenței la nivel european, susținute de un buget multianual european ambițios.
Transmitem, mai jos, transcrierea în limba engleză a intervenției ministrului afacerilor externe.
Thank you, Ambassador Balslev. You are perfectly right that the challenges are clear, but the opportunities lie within the challenges themselves and I am grateful to be here today with you, I am grateful to you for hosting us today. I also want to welcome the presence of Ms. Ramona Chiriac, Head of the European Commission Representation, it is always a joy to be together at events.
It is a good moment, also, obviously, to thank the previous Polish Presidency of the Council for all its work. We have had this conversation with the Polish delegation in The Hague, as well, and we have conveyed our thank you and the respect we have towards the dedication towards our common agenda in the first Semester. This was by no means an easy task. But is it ever?
I am certain Denmark, with your strong energy and commitment in steering the Council’s work for the next six months will be a great ally for Romania continuing forward. I believe it is fair to say that this mandate takes place at a pivotal moment for the Union, both internally and in terms of its external action.
You have named it A Strong Europe in a Changing World, but for the following months we might also consider the fact that it’s also A changing Europe in a changing world. And I think that is for the best. I am confident in your vision and in your consensus-building skills, as this is your eighth time holding the Council Presidency and I think it is the right time to have someone with such strong experience in leading our common agenda. I wish you every success during your tenure at the helm of the EU Council.
This Semester will definitely be an intense one. We have a joint duty to advance our common European project that remains our solid answer to a challenging regional and global environment, marked by uncertainty, strategic and economic competition and rising levels of volatility and conflict.
It is clear though that we have to work on multiple levels. And here I have seen that Denmark is addressing this very clearly. And there is no competition between the agendas and between the areas. It is quite clear that to have a safe Europe, to have a Europe that is better at defending itself, we need a strong market. And we need not just to preserve the single market, but to make sure we create there, as well, the changes that we need. That the green transition happens, but that it happens in a fair way. In a fair way that is seen and perceived as inclusive, not just by small businesses, but also by citizens that don’t feel, let’s say, at the distance to this transition. We need to continue the work on improving the instruments of our security and defense, yes, in cooperation and in complementarity with NATO but you have said it very clearly that as a European Union we need to be more resilient, we need to be less dependent, we need to stay true to our democratic values enshrined in the treaties, to human rights and respect for the rule of law, as well as our unique and inclusive economic and social model. And let us be clear, our economic and social model will also be challenged.
We have taken a strong, bold decision to increase our budget and to increase our defence allocation, but it was quite clear also in the conversation I had with the other ministers of Foreign Affairs in The Hague and at the EU Council, that it’s quite clear to us that although currently in most countries and especially in Romania citizens have a clear support for larger NATO budgets, we need to have this conversation day in and day out to make sure that they understand that peace and security are also in the interest of a growing economy, are also in the interest of the social inclusion model, and that they cannot be separated. Because it is, at the end of the day, their money from their taxes, their work and their contribution. And it is to be clear that defense spending and investments in those areas are felt also in the other areas where citizens are highly interested in and they don’t see it as a competition on budget and their taxes.
We need to protect our democratic societies, as you have clearly said, from new hybrid threats and external interferences into our democratic processes. And here we believe the recent experience in Romania helps us be a voice and a contributor to make sure that when this is happening in other countries in the region, potentially, we are there to help, we are there to share our experiences, to share the lessons we have learned. And to share the gratitude we have towards our citizens, because at the end of the day, the European values, the European friendship is what has made a lot of our citizens step up and protect the democratic model and the European path forward. And we believe with this common experience as societies, within our institutions, within the way media has made sure it showcased clearly what was happening, that we can be of help to our friends in the region and we can be a relevant voice within the European Union in this direction and within NATO.
I cannot underline enough how important it is if we are to build a stronger and more resilient Union to advance enlargement, a key strategic policy for the future of our continent. This is why we need to step up our efforts in order to receive new members in the European Union family in a few years’ time. Those that are performing should join us as soon as possible. Not in a distant future, but in the near future.
As some of you might have noticed in the Government Programme that we have passed through Parliament less than 10 days ago, one of the strategic objectives that we have put there for the Government, for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was that in less than a decade we want to support the idea that the European Union border doesn’t stop with the Romanian border anymore. And this is something that has currently the support of the Parliament through the vote for the new Government and the new Government Programme. And it is something we have been clear about and we want to be even a stronger advocate of that.
There is no doubt that the complexity of the current international situation requires our strong and united European action. It is exactly as the Danish priorities programme entitled A Strong Europe in a Changing World clearly states several times throughout. I am also convinced that our strength lies in our unity and our capacity to act together. I am looking forward to working with you to fulfil this mission. It has also been the key message of our Romanian President Mr. Nicușor Dan, conveyed through the European Council. And we think Romania has a strong legitimacy because we have always been a strong ally and a strong friend for the European Union, within the European Union and for its enlargement. You can fully count on Romania to continue being as active and as a reliable partner as it has always been.
Your Excellency, I cannot but share the strong focus that the current Presidency is placing on a secure Europe, starting from the basic premise that the European Union is to become a stronger geopolitical actor, both in its strategic neighbourhood and on the world stage.
We have been moving closer toward this strategic goal in the past years, but now it is time to act more decisively. Clearly, our collective action is to tackle a wide array of security challenges from the many and interconnected strands of internal and external security to building resilience against conventional and hybrid threats. And with the hybrid threats I think that’s where we have a higher challenge because we do not always have institutions that have the proper definitions, that have had the proper preparation and I think in recent years this has advanced and it can be the key for this year as well. Consolidating of global partnerships, chief among remaining, in my opinion, a robust transatlantic relationship. Although clearly a changing one, currently. Transatlantic cohesion is all the more important in the current complex security environment.
We fully share the view that the EU must be able to defend itself by taking responsibility for its own and Euro-Atlantic security, working closely and in complementarity with NATO. We also need to become a more competitive and greener Europe, the second pillar of the Danish Presidency programme, and we are satisfied that this practical necessity is clearly captured in the programme. Especially as Romania, as you have so gracefully mentioned, has contributed significantly through time for this agenda. We plead for a balanced and tailor-made approach meant to strengthen long-term competitiveness while responsibly advancing the green transition. We have to make sure that the green transition, just like the digital one, leaves no one behind. Competitiveness and convergence depend on each other and should be achieved in parallel. A strengthened Single Market and simplified rules will go a long way towards boosting our competitiveness and unlocking additional investment capacity to the benefits of citizens, businesses and national authorities.
One particular point related to the broader discussion of competitiveness refers to energy. This is key for Romania and this is key for the region as well. So we welcome the focus placed by the Danish Presidency on driving Europe towards ensuring a sufficient production of clean, affordable energy. At the same time, energy security and affordability remain crucial pillars of our common approach, as high energy prices continue to be an issue affecting industrial competitiveness and affordability. At the same, our ambition to create a more competitive and greener Europe should be backed by an ambitious Multi-Annual Financial Framework. And we look forward to being engaged in this negotiation. Those that are poised to be complicated talks, as always, but I’m sure that the Danish Presidency will play a constructive role by acting as an honest broker, as it has always done.
Ladies and gentlemen, diving deeper into some of the various dimensions of a secure Europe underlined by the Danish Presidency, I would like to touch shortly on several additional aspects. First, on Ukraine. Let me underline once more that it is very important to continue and reinforce our support for the country, and for the Ukrainian population. This was one of the very recent conclusions, and this is a conclusion that Romania supports. We aim for a complete and unconditional ceasefire, and that remains essential towards a lasting peace. We need to keep European and international aid flowing to Ukraine. As such, we welcome the Presidency’s commitment to ensure that the EU maintains its leading role in providing predictable and coordinated support to Ukraine, including as part of its accession path. We are also looking forward towards the post-conflict reconstruction phase, and Romania are also wants to take a more active role in those discussions.
At the same time, we as Europeans must continue to put pressure on Russia to seriously engage in peace talks. In this regard, the swift adoption of the 18th package of sanctions targeting further energy and financing is key. We welcome the recent agreement of EUCO to prolong the already implemented sectoral measures.
Last but not least, a more secure Europe means a more secure Black Sea region. In this respect, we welcome the European strategic approach in the Black Sea, as reflected in the most recent European Council conclusions, something that Romania has actively contributed to. Raising EU’s level of ambition for the Black Sea demonstrates the EU’s commitment to adapting its posture to new geopolitical realities. We trust that this approach will contribute to the restoration of peace and security, the economic development in the region.
Your Excellency, the last point that I want to point out, as I clearly stated, the key priority for Romania on the European agenda remains advancing the enlargement, as you have described it correctly, a geopolitical necessity. We remain strong supporters of the EU enlargement towards both the Eastern partners, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, and those of the Western Balkans, on a merit-based approach. All countries have made significant efforts with impressive results under most difficult circumstances at time. We need to move under the Danish Council Presidency to be able to open negotiation clusters, starting with the first one, Fundamentals. Continuing EU steadfast support and multifaceted support for the Republic of Moldova in political, diplomatic and financial areas is essential for the stability, democratic path and EU integration course of the Republic of Мoldova. Advancing on the EU track would send a strong message of European support in view of the upcoming elections as well.
Looking forward to the EU – Republic of Moldova Summit to be held in Chisinau in a couple of days.
Advancing our concrete work within the European Union driven by a logic of unity and solidarity will be the most effective political message that the Union can send in this difficult geostrategic context. I assure you that Romania will continue to engage constructively in the EU and in all related debates, aimed at finding the best solution for existing and future challenges.
On this positive note, let me conclude by wishing, again, all the best of luck to our Danish friends in pursuing their mandate for the benefit of our common European project.
Thank you.
Stire publicata in FE cu ajutorul ZN PR & EVENTS
