Romanian interim president attends European Council, meets with European leaders
<p>Interim president Ilie Bolojan is attending the European Council in Brussels on Thursday, March 6, to signal Romania’s position in favor of strengthening NATO's European pillar, supporting Ukraine, and increasing defense spending. He also met with several European leaders before the summit, including the next chancellor of Germany.</p>
<p>European leaders met in Brussels to discuss a common strategy in light of Donald Trump’s intention to reduce US involvement in the region.</p>
<p>"I have a mandate based on three premises. The first is supporting Europe’s greater role in maintaining peace on the continent, which involves developing the European pillar within NATO and maintaining the partnership with the United States so that NATO can reinforce its role as the continent’s peace guarantor,” Bolojan told the press.</p>
<p>“The second is supporting Ukraine so that, until a peace agreement is reached and hostilities cease, conditions are in place to prevent the front from collapsing. Supporting Ukraine is a measure of stability at our borders and a safeguard for our country’s peace. The third involves backing increased defense spending, ensuring that under the proposed mechanism these expenditures do not count towards the budget deficit, allowing us to sustain our national defense industry," he added.</p>
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<p>Before the Council meeting, Bolojan also had discussions with the leader of the European People's Party (EPP), Manfred Weber; the leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and future Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz; and Polish prime minister Donald Tusk, in the context of the EPP summit in Brussels.</p>
<p>"Romania is ready to act alongside other EU member states to find swift solutions to current challenges. People expect results, and we must deliver. Security remains an absolute priority,” Bolojan said on Facebook after meeting with Manfred Weber.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu announced that he will confirm Romania’s willingness to allocate additional funds for armament but with the condition that "the money goes exclusively to factories in Romania’s defense industry." He added, "'Yes' to increased defense spending, 'No' to sending Romanian troops to Ukraine.”</p>
<p><em><a href="mailto:radu@romania-insider.com">radu@romania-insider.com</a></em></p>
<p><em>(Photo source: Presidency.ro)</em></p>