Financiarul

Vice-president for foreign policy of the socialists and democrats in the European Parliament Adrian Severin addressed, on Sunday, an appeal to President Traian Basescu, who will represent Romania at the European Summit on Oct. 29, to request and support on this occasion that a personality from Central and Eastern Europe – new member states – is designated for one of the three top positions in the European Executive.

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) European MPs leader is determined to support in the European Parliament such a cause, in the interest of the European Romania and of the European Union as a whole, the Press Office of the Social Democrats Delegation to EP informs in a release.

“The European Summit on Oct. 29 will launch the debate in multilateral format on the designation of the future President of the European Council and of the future High Representative for External Action. These positions, alongside the one of the President of the European Commission, form the tough core of the European Union Executive.

Following preliminary consultations the idea takes shape that all those aforementioned positions are to be occupied by personalities from the old member states, namely from the Western Europe (Atlantic) zone.
Of course, there is no conflict of a strategic interest nature between the old and new member states, between the EU western and eastern members. In exchange, there are serious differences at political sensitivity and historical experience levels.

To the extent the sensitivities and experience of the Central and Eastern European members cannot be expressed at the top institutional level, in this critical stage of the European construction, there is the risk that the entire viability of the European architecture and of the European project’s future might be in danger”, argued Adrian Severin.

In this context, PSD MEPs leader made an appeal to the head of state: “I make an appeal to President Traian Basescu, who will represent Romania to the future European summit, to ask for and support that one of the top three positions in the European Executive is occupied by a personality from Central and Eastern Europe, respectively by the new member states. I am ready to support such an approach in the EP.

Beyond what divides us in the internal policy and despite that the current presidential campaign finds us in different camps, let’s unite in order to promote a top cause, in the interest of the European Romania and of the EU as a whole”, underlined Adrian Severin, who is shadow rapporteur of the European socialists and democrats for Brok report on the institutional aspects of the creation of an European Service for External Action (SEAE), to be subordinated to the future High Representative (for the External Action – editor’s note)- Vice-president of the European Commission, a file adopted this week by EP.

Severin was member of the Convention for Europe’s Future (2002-2003), President (2000- 2002) and President Emeritus (2002-2004) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), also fulfilling top level missions within the Council of Europe (Vice-president of the Judicial and Human Rights Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE – 2006-2007, 1995-1996; President of the Foreign Relations Sub¬committee of PACE – 2004-2007). He also served as rapporteur of the United Nations Organization (UN) for the situation of human rights in Belarus (2004-2007).