Head of EC local Representation: Joining eurozone could be Romania's next major country project

Photo credit: (c) Angelo BREZOIANU / AGERPRES PHOTO

Joining the eurozone could be Romania's next major country project, the aim after this move being for the Romanians' living standards to get in line with those of the eurozone citizens, head of the European Commission's Representation to Romania Angela Filote told a press conference.

Photo credit: (c) Angelo BREZOIANU / AGERPRES PHOTO

"Joining the eurozone is one of the still active files of Romania's EU membership. There are three open files: joining the Schengen Area, the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) and joining the eurozone. As far as the Schengen accession bid is concerned, Romania has fulfilled all the requirements. The decision-making process has moved from the technical to the political and diplomatic realm. The CVM is subject to an interesting debate that brings together a variety of views. As far as the eurozone accession is concerned, the issue is not if Romania will join, but rather when and how it will do it," said Filote.

"There is an agreement between the European Union and Romania, already set forth in Romania's EU Accession Treaty. Joining the eurozone could be the next major country project, but it needs broad support, beyond the ideological differences that may arise. We also have a target set by the Romanian Government: 2019. Yet before adopting the euro, we speak of entering the exchange rate mechanisms. How will this be done? The answer is predictable: through structural reforms," explained the head of the European Commission's Representation to Romania.

Angela Filote also said that she wants the accession to the eurozone to benefit the common citizen.

"We are talking about real convergence. Nominal convergence is a table with a set of accomplished indicators. Our post-accession target is...

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