Iohannis at Brussels: Romania expects arrangements agreed by EU with UK to be swiftly and fully implemented

President Klaus Iohannis underscored in Brussels, on Friday, Romania's expectation regarding the swift and full implementation of the arrangements agreed with the UK in the first stage of negotiations on the Brexit. 

At the EU-27 European Council meeting held in Brussels on Friday, European leaders assessed the progress in the Brexit negotiations in the three specific areas - citizens' rights, the border with Ireland and the financial bill. 
European leaders appreciated that there had been sufficient progress in the three areas and decided to move to the second phase of the negotiations with the UK - on the future relations between the European Union and this country. 

"From the perspective of Romania, the results obtained so far reflect fully the objectives pursued in the negotiations. Thus, as regards the Romanian citizens living on the territory of Great Britain and their family members, they will benefit from all the rights already acquired and covered by European law and after the UK's withdrawal from the EU," the Presidential Administration said in a statement. 

Thus, the transfer of all social security benefits will be kept, including family and child allowances, and the professional qualifications obtained or in the process of being obtained prior to the withdrawal will be recognized. Family reunification principles have also been agreed, and future family members, the children of citizens covered by the withdrawal agreement respectively, will have the same rights. 

The communiqué states that for the settled status for all EU citizens in the UK, administrative procedures will be transparent, simplified and will have minimal costs. 

Regarding the financial aspects, the funds allocated to Romania for the 2014-2020 programming period will not be reduced. 

Also adopted have been the guidelines that will be the basis for a new negotiation mandate for a transitional period, as well as for the framework of future relations. 

The adopted directives highlight aspects such as the need to finalize all the elements leading to the first phase of the negotiations and consolidating the results obtained by starting the drawing-up of the withdrawal agreement, conditioning the second-stage negotiations on fully meeting all the commitments assumed in the first phase and the intention to have also in the future a close partnership with the UK in areas of common interest such as security, defense and foreign policy. 

In the context of the adoption of the guidelines, President Iohannis stressed Romania's interest in the future relations to define a close partnership with the UK in areas of common interest, including security, defense, foreign relations and the fight against terrorism.

Agerpres