Foreign affairs minister says EU not on a loss in relation with Romania

Romania’s foreign affairs minister Teodor Melescanu said linking the EU fund allocation to rule of law would be “a gross violation of the European Union’s fundamental principles”.

He added that EU funds are instruments to increase the convergence between EU countries and they are not charity. Melescanu argued that Romania and other countries that benefit from high amounts of EU funds, such as Poland, also contribute to the EU budget with sums that are not negligible.

“If we put into balance the EU funds Romania has received and the profits European companies have made in Romania, I don’t think that EU is on a loss,” Melescanu said in a TV show on Thursday evening, local Hotnews.ro reported.

The same arguments were used by Poland’s foreign affairs minister Jacek Czaputowicz recently, after the European Commission triggered 'Article 7' disciplinary measures against Poland at the end of December, amid the country’s controversial judicial reforms. Romania has also been warned by the European Commission to rethink the changes to the justice laws and criminal codes, which may affect justice independence and the fight against corruption.

Teodor Melescanu and Jacek Czaputowicz had a meeting in Bucharest yesterday.

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