Frans Timmermans

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila on Wednesday said she is surprised by the statements made by First Vice President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, arguing that there has been total openness on the Romanian authorities' behalf towards the steps our country has to take.

After talks on Monday with visiting European Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans, the socialists' candidate for EC president, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said he believed that European Parliament elections in May could be the most critical for the future of Europe.

The future of the European Union's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) must respond both to the priorities of the European Union and to the new challenges that cannot always be anticipated, First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans said in Bucharest.

First Vice-President of the European Commission (EC) Frans Timmermans stated on Monday that he didn't see any progress since the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) report was published and he wishes for the experts of the European Commission and the Government representatives to discuss about the points that should be solved.

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland commended, during a meeting that she had with him in Brussels, the manner in which Romania has exercised its mandate so far at the rotating Presidency of the EU Council, adding that it has succeeded in concluding 62 files pending on the European agenda.

 First Vice President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans expressed increasing concern regarding the latest developments in matters related to the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) for Romania, at the meeting he had on Wednesday in Brussels with Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, adding that urgent progress is needed in the following weeks regarding all matters that are

AGERPRES special correspondent Tudor Martalogu reports: The EU executive remains committed to the objective of lifting the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) for Romania by the end of the current European Commission's term, but if Bucharest has the ambition to do the same thing, there is a long way to go, and there are many steps to be taken, First Vice-President Frans Timmerm

"We concluded the first trilogue of Romania's Presidency (...) and it is important as it is a file regarding personal data protection," Minister-delegate for European Affairs George Ciamba said in Strasbourg on Wednesday.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis admitted last month his country was not ready to assume the six-month EU presidency. EU officials allege Romania is not taking steps to fight corruption and uphold judicial independence, reported DW. 

The government will allocate nearly 52 million BGN for Christmas bonuses to pensions. Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on 14th of November at the beginning of the government's weekly meeting, that 1,269,000 pensioners will receive bonuses to their pensions, reports BNT.