Priorities of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU
Factsheet
- Romania will hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU for the first time since it joined the EU, from January to June 2019. The Romanian Presidency opens the Trio of Presidencies composed also of Finland and Croatia, and it will be the final Presidency acting throughout the current legislative cycle of the European Parliament
- Romania is a semi-presidential republic, with the President as Head of State — formerly EPP-affiliated — and the Prime Minister as Head of Government, leading a Social Democrat-ALDE coalition. The current Head of State is Mr. Klaus Werner Iohannis, in office since December 21, 2014, while the current Prime Minister is Ms. Viorica V. Dăncilă, in office since January 29, 2018
- Romania has a bicameral parliamentary system. The Senate (upper house) has 136 seats and the Chamber of Deputies (lower house) has 329 seats. Representatives from both chambers are directly elected for 4-year terms
- No of seats in the European Parliament: 32
- Number of votes in the Council: 14
European context
During its presidency, Bucharest will be charged with sealing agreements on a number of key policy issues, before May’s European Parliament election — as well as presiding over Britain’s departure from the EU. The upcoming months will shape the future of the EU, lengthy negotiations being foreseen on the EU Long Term Budget (the Multiannual Financial Framework) for 2021-2027, by the end of the current legislative mandate. Romania’s Presidency will also ensure the transitions at EU institutional level — in particular the next Commission and Parliament — as well as wrap up the debate on the future of Europe, to be concluded with the Europe Day 2019 Summit in Sibiu. Romanian authorities hope that 2019 will relaunch the European project, the same way that, three decades ago, the year 1989 opened up a new chapter for Central and Eastern Europe.
Legislative agenda
Europe Minister Ciamba explained that the looming European Parliament election means progress in some areas could be limited. But Ciamba also underlined that Romania is pro-Europe, a message Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă also conveyed on December 4 at a conference in Brussels.
Romanian Presidency will focus on four main priorities, under the motto of cohesion, understood as unity, equal treatment and convergence, a Union that leaves no member country and no citizen behind.
Digital transformation will be a highlight of Romania’s Presidency. Romania’s leap forward in technology is indeed less known. For example, Romania has the fastest broadband internet in the whole EU. Start-ups flourish, supported by government and local authorities, and benefiting from EU funds. Cybersecurity, innovation and skills, women in tech, and Artificial Intelligence will be just some of Romania’s digital priorities. Romania will host next year the Startup Europe Summit.
With its high rates of economic growth (6.7 percent in 2017), and a new generation passionate in the latest technologies, some see Romania as the new Silicon Valley. Or “Laser Valey,” as French professor Gérard Mourou, Nobel prize-winner for Physics in 2018 has said — who also initiated project ELI-NP (Extreme Light Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics) — developed near Bucharest, in Măgurele.
The long-stalled package of migration measures is “quite a heavy one,” Minister Ciamba has also said to Politico. The Romanian Presidency will try to close the migration and asylum files “but the reality is that the useful period of time is not so long,” noting that much depends on where the Austrian Presidency leaves things. In addition, Romania feels that it has the moral high-ground on these files, as it has successfully secured an extensive part of the European Union’s external borders, without formally being a part of Schengen.
Timeline
January
College visit to ROMANIA/ Opening Ceremony
GAC, FAC
EUROGROUP/ ECOFIN
AGRIFISH
Defence Ministers informal meeting (RO); Informal FAC (Gymnich) (RO)
February
Informal JHA (Home Affairs) (RO)
EUROGROUP
ECOFIN PSC
EYCS Education
FAC COM PET Internal Market and Industry
GAC COM PET Research PSC
Informal FAC trade (RO)
March
Informal Telecom (RO)
TTE Energy (poss) ENVI
TTE Transport (poss)
JHA
EUROGROUP ECOFIN
EPSCO Social
FAC
AG RI FISH
GAC GAC art.SO
Tripartite social summit
EUROPEAN COUNCIL 21-22 March
Informal Transport (RO)
April
Informal GAC (RO)
Informal Energy (RO)
Informal COMPET Research (RO)
Informal ECOFIN (RO)
FAC (Luxembourg) GAC (Luxembourg)
Informal EPSCO Social (RO)
Cohesion ministers informal meeting (RO)
AGRIFISH (Luxembourg)
Informal EPSCO Health (RO)
Informal EYCS (Culture) (RO)
May
Informal COM PET (internal market and industry) (RO)
EUROPE DAY SIBIU SUMMIT
FAC Defence AGRIFISH
FAC Development
EUROGROUP ECOFIN
Informal Environment (RO)
GAC
EYCS
COM PET (Research and Space)
FAC Trade
June
Informal AGRIFISH (RO)
JHA (Luxembourg)
TTE Transport (Luxembourg)
EPSCO Social (Luxembourg)
EUROGROUP (Luxembourg)
EPSCO Health (Luxembourg)
ECOFIN (Luxembourg)
FAC (Luxembourg)
GAC (Luxembourg)
AGRIFISH (Luxembourg)
EUROPEAN COUNCIL 20-21
