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Minister of State Link visits Romania to appraise the current situation
Michael Link is in Romania on 12 and 13 July, visiting the country for the first time in his capacity as Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office.
In Bucharest on Thursday, he held talks with the Romanian State Secretary Luminiţa Odobescu of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Leonard Orban, Romania’s Minister of European Affairs. They spoke about current European issues such as the negotiations on the EU’s multiannual financial framework (2014-2020), the outcomes of the June European Council and matters pertaining to the future of the EU.
Minister of State Link also used his visit to Bucharest to find out more about the current situation in Romania’s domestic politics. He engaged in in depth discussion of the subject with Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Marga and Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) President Vasile Blaga as well as members of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and representatives of German political foundations.
In his talks, Minister of State Link delivered the message that Germany and the institutions of Europe had a watchful eye on the situation in Romania and were concerned at what was currently happening. In light of what had already been achieved on the road towards closer European integration and collaboration with EU partners, he said, it was important to respect both the independence of constitutional organs and the balance which governed their interactions.
He issued the following statement in Bucharest today (13 July):
I welcome what Prime Minister Ponta said in Brussels yesterday, when he pledged that the Commission’s recommendations would be swiftly acted on and that the Government would do everything in its power to put an end to the current crisis and ensure that the country is run in accordance with its constitution and in the spirit of European values and principles.
Germany expects the findings of Romania’s Constitutional Court to be published swiftly and in full and the situation to be subjected to comprehensive assessment by the European Commission. What happens next needs to be decided in close liaison with European institutions and partners, particularly with respect to referendum preparations.
