Secretary of State George Ciamba participates in General Affairs Council meeting

Secretary of State for European Affairs George Ciamba in Luxembourg on Tuesday participated in the General Affairs Council meeting, the discussions having focused mainly on the preparation of the Summer European Council meeting (June 26-27, 2014), granting the candidate status to Albania, the annual exercise European Semester of coordinating the economic policies in the EU and the adoption of the EU Maritime Strategy.

According to a MAE press release remitted to Agerpres, during the discussions, Secretary of State for European Affairs George Ciamba pleaded for the appropriate reflection in the text of the European Council conclusions of the persons' free movement as a ground principle of the European construction and fundamental right of European citizens, as well as the importance of strengthening the Schengen Area, from the prospect of its enlargement, included.

In the context of the opinion exchange concerning the stage of negotiations on the future framework in the area of energy and climate changes in the 2020-2030 interval, Secretary of State George Ciamba reiterated the need of a balanced approach between the establishment of ambitious environment objectives and the need for protecting the industrial competitiveness and the energy security in Europe.

At the same time, George Ciamba saluted the prospect of signing the Association Agreement/the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the Republic of Moldova and Georgia and the final provisions of these agreements with Ukraine, on occasion of the European Council of June 26-27, 2014. In context, he reiterated the objective of advancing towards a clear European prospect for the partners who are fully committed to this path.

Concerning EU's expansion policy...