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Report's exclusive interview with Teodor-Viorel Melescanu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania, the chairing country in the Council of the , on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership program.
- What are the main priorities of Romania Chairmanship in the Council of the EU? Is the Eastern partnership among them?
- The Presidency of the Council of the is expected to advance work on all the files on the EU agenda, and that is exactly what the Romanian Presidency is committed to do. Our approach places at its centre the idea of EU cohesion, in its widest interpretation. As Presidency, we have put forward a Work Programme with four general strands of work, the simple enumeration of which already gives you an idea about their content and our priorities.
We have a first pillar called “Europe of convergence”, aimed at convergence and cohesion in Europe, in order to achieve sustainable and equal development opportunities for all citizens and Member States. A second pillar is aimed at “A safer Europe”, which means dealing with the new security challenges that threaten the safety of citizens. The third one relates to “Europe, as a stronger global actor”, where to a large extent the rotating Presidency acts in support of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Finally, the “Europe of common values” pillar.
We look at our Presidency as an excellent opportunity to address a number of key subjects related to EU’s stance in this increasingly complex world. This state of the world calls upon a closer union, meaning more coherence between the internal and external dimensions of our policies. The key principle that underpins the EU Global Strategy has been confirmed by reality so many times in so many areas. Therefore, on the external dimension, Romania provides its full support to the High Representative and her team along the following four priorities. We place Eastern neighbourhood among our top priorities during our Presidency of the Council of the EU, especially taking into account that in May the Eastern Partnership will celebrate its 10th anniversary – it is the perfect opportunity to prove that this Partnership is honouring its promises. Moreover, this framework needs to be strengthened in order to unveil its full potential for all the citizens of every social category. They are the ones who need to see the benefits of aspiring to European values and principles.
The Eastern Partnership is indeed one of our main priorities, which is part of the third pillar. This should not be seen in a too restrictive sense though, because there are many horizontal strands of work linking transversally the four pillars of our programme, so one can find, for example, the issue of connectivity appearing in activities and events formally placed under different pillars, one and three.
The Eastern Partnership is a priority of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU, given that for us, the EU’s relations with the Eastern partners have always been of strategic importance. For Romania, the Eastern Partnership is of special importance both because we are directly bordering two of the Eastern Partners (Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova) and due to our traditional good bilateral relations with all EaP countries. Azerbaijan for example is a strategic partner of Romania so it is obvious that we will channel our efforts in strengthening these ties including through the means of the EaP.
During our Presidency, we will support and facilitate EU’s and EUMS’ efforts and approaches towards our Eastern Neighbourhood on the advancement of the “20 deliverables for 2020” and in working towards our common priorities – Stronger Economy, Stronger Governance, Stronger Connectivity and Stronger Society.
- As you know, relations between Romania and Azerbaijan are excellent. Romania was the first EU Member State to have a strategic partnership with Baku, long before other EU countries. The Joint Declaration on Establishing a Strategic Partnership Agreement between Romania and the Republic of Azerbaijan was signed back in 2009 by the Presidents of the two countries, during the Romanian’s President visit to Baku. Two years later, a Joint Action Plan for the Implementation of the Strategic Partnership followed, with concrete actions to take in a large number of fields, from political dialogue and economic cooperation, investments, energy cooperation to people-to-people contacts and cultural cooperation. Both documents mention Romania’s status as member of the EU and its role in opening new opportunities for closer cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the EU, as well as the strategic importance of Azerbaijan for the European energy security and the development potential of the Azerbaijani energy sector resulting from enhanced cooperation with the European Union. Supporting the dynamic cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the EU has always been a goal of Romanian diplomacy and it is reassuring that in the capacity of President of the Council of the EU, Romania will continue to do so. Nowadays, Azerbaijan has already become a valued partner of the EU, with a strategic importance when it comes to energy security and we can only take pride in it. Of course, there are still many more opportunities for further developing this cooperation and this is why we hope for a rapid and smooth conclusion of negotiations on the new Agreement between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the UE. This document will create the legal basis for opening of a new, enhanced stage in EU-Azerbaijan relations. Of course, the External Action Service of the EU manages the negotiations, but it would be highly symbolic if the negotiations would be concluded during the mandate of the Romanian Presidency.
- This year Eastern Partnership marks 10 years anniversary. What events the Romanian Chairmanship is planning to organize in this regard? Is a Summit of the heads of state of these countries one of these events?
- This year is an anniversary year for the EaP. It is a symbolic moment that demonstrates the maturity of a joint endeavour aimed at building a common area of shared democracy, prosperity, stability and increased cooperation in line with each individual country's aspirations.
We intend to advance the implementation of sectorial objectives of the Eastern Partnership 2020 Agenda. During the three main events organized by the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU, we will focus on digital economy (Bucharest, EaP Ministerial meeting on 28th of February), energy (Bucharest, EaP Ministerial meeting on 2nd of April) and business (Bucharest EaP Business Forum in June), as well as on transport (Luxembourg, Ministerial meeting on 6th of June). In our view, 2019 is a year of implementation and preparation for the 2020 milestone. Our sectorial events, mostly focused on connectivity, intend to push forward this ambitious agenda.
In addition, our embassies are organizing events dedicated to the EaP anniversary in most EU member states and in all EaP countries. For example, our Embassy in Baku is very involved in organizing public events in cooperation with Azeri partners - presentation of the Romanian Presidency to the Council of the EU priorities, a photo exhibition dedicated to the European cities, a public debate on the achievements and prospects of the Eastern Partnership.
- What goals could the Eastern Partnership achieve?
- During a relatively short period, the Eastern Partnership, through the collective efforts of both the EU and the partner states, has brought numerous tangible benefits to the citizens of the EU and its six Eastern Partners. Each partner has chosen its level of rapprochement with the EU and in accordance with the more for more principle, and has benefited from the EaP facilities accordingly. There are numerous opportunities for substantial cooperation, and this adds more prospects for the future of the EaP.
