Financiarul

Romania will in the most categorical manner be against any such solution to trigger the resumption of the ratification process of the Treaty of Lisbon, as following certain exigencies of the incumbent Czech Presidency of the European Union (EU), Romanian President Traian Basescu on Thursday stated, before leaving to participate in a meeting of the heads of state and government from the EU member states, in Brussels.

He reminded that the Czech President Vaclav Klaus did not promulgate the Treaty yet and also underlined that solutions need to be found within the existing Treaty.
All the member states of the EU, except from the Czech Republic, have ratified the Treaty of Lisbon, a document which needs the ratification by all the 27 states. The document is currently waiting to be signed by the Czech President Vaclav Klaus, who cannot do so because he needs to wait first for the decision of the Czech Constitutional Court.

Another important matter to be discussed at the meeting of the EU heads of state and government refers to the economic, financial and social situation in the EU.
Related to this matter, the Romanian President Traian Basescu said that starting a possible strategy of withdrawal of the governments from backing the processes of the emergence from crisis is a complicated issue, with Romania’s viewpoint being that in no way should such a process begin earlier than the end of 2010.

‘We have our argument, a national argument namely the very Arrangements with the European Commission and IMF – they are set to cover the years 2009 and 2010 – and we believe that any interruption of these financial support programmes with the EU and IMF actually interrupts the anti-crisis programme that Romania has begun and that has the pillars placed on the very programme with the EU and IMF’, Basescu explained.

Other aspects to be approached at the meeting in Brussels will be the situation in Afghanistan, a country in which the EU member states play a military role, together with the other NATO states, and also the situation in Pakistan. “With regard to the Pakistan issue, Romania will plead for an active involvement of all the member states in the area, with more Talibans camps being located in Pakistan than in Afghanistan right now, wherefrom they launch attacks against the NATO armies,” Basescu said.

Another issue to be debated by the European Council this autumn will be related to climate changes and sustainable development issues, along with the preparations of the EU stand ahead of the Climate Conference 2009 to take place in Copenhagen in December. “With regard to the climate change, Romania is currently trying to deal with the money problem.

We have already notified the European Council about Romania not being able to pay yet substantial contributions to this programme, which is devoted to such countries outside the EU border, in order to support them reach the parameters to be convened at the conference on climate change to take place in Copenhagen” Traian Basescu said. The Romanian head of state will participate on Thursday and Friday in Brussels in the meeting of the EU heads of the state and government. Ministers Gheorghe Pogea and Catalin Predoiu will accompany him.