President Iohannis - EC head phone call about EU economic recovery plan, budget revision proposals

President Klaus Iohannis spoke on the phone today with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, with the discussion focusing mainly on the proposals the EC will put forward by the end of this month for the EU's economic recovery plan and the revised proposal for the 2021 - 2027 EU budget, the Presidential Administration informed. According to the cited source, President Iohannis expressed Romania's full support for identifying the most appropriate solutions for the EU's regaining its economic strength. "As regards the package the European Commission is about to present regarding the EU Economic Recovery Plan and the revised proposal for the Union's budget for the period 2021-2027, the President of Romania spoke in favor of an approach focused on unity, solidarity and on avoiding any division or fragmentation between the member states. Also, President Klaus Iohannis emphasized that these proposals must take into account the needs of each member state, be balanced, proportionate and properly prioritized, so as to ensure a concrete response to the existing challenges," said the Presidential Administration. Iohannis also reiterated the idea that "convergence and cohesion must remain the main goals at European level, so that the European Union emerges stronger from the challenge posed by the COVID-19 crisis". "In order to ensure an efficient economic recovery process, President Klaus Iohannis called for a strong, substantial and flexible European budget. In this regard, the President of Romania stressed that, in his opinion, the amount of the future EU budget must take into account the EU's new economic circumstances," the Presidential Administration states. Klaus Iohannis emphasized the importance of the Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy as key investment instruments which must be used to the full for the reconstruction of the European economies. Thus, he advocated increased allocations for the two policies and a more flexible implementation framework, so that the member states be able to adjust the financial support to their specific needs. President Iohannis also spoke in favor of ensuring a strong EU health infrastructure, thus supporting the advancement of dedicated financial instruments to address this challenge in the future economic recovery. AGERPRES (RO - author: Florentina Peia, editor: Georgiana Tănăsescu; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Rodica State)