Negrescu: We uphold close cooperation with Austria, in context of successively exercising Presidencies to Council of EU

Minister-delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu paid on Monday a working visit to Austria, where he said that Romania's Government upholds the maintenance of a close cooperation with this country, in the context of the Vienna, then Bucharest consecutively exercising the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

According to a press release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry sent to AGERPRES, Minister Negrescu had meetings with the Federal Minister for European Affairs within the Federal Chancellery Gernot Blumel, Chair of the SPÖ (Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs; Social Democratic Party of Austria) in the National Council Andreas Schieder and with Barbara Kaudel-Jensen, EU advisor in the Cabinet of Austria's Chancellor on foreign and European policy.

During talks, the two parties reiterated the commitment for consolidating bilateral relations and cooperation in European affairs, in the context of successively taking over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union by Austria in the second semestre of 2018 and by Romania in the first semestre of 2019. The officials highlighted at the same time the common objective of the two future Presidencies of contributing to the promotion of an European agenda based on the European's project unity and cohesion, reads the release.

At the same time Minister Negrescu reviewed the main topics on the working agenda of Romania's Presidency to the Council of the EU and the evolution of the internal preparation process. In this context, the Romanian official expressed the availability of the Romanian authorities of maintaining an enhanced dialogue with the Austrian officials, both technically and politically, on a series of cases currently on the European agenda, aspects related to the reflection process on the EU's future, the Brexit negotiations and those concerning the future post-2020 multi-annual financial framework being discussed in particular, the release further informs.

"The dialogue and cooperation with Austria and with the other partners allow us to pragmatically and efficiently ensure the management of the topical European cases, as well as the demarches in preparation of the Presidency of the Council of the EU. We support the pursuit of discussion for the consolidation of the European Union based on a unified and inclusive approach, that meets the expectations of its citizens, of the Romanian citizens, included," Victor Negrescu underscored according to the quoted source.

At the same time, the opportunities to jointly promote the Strategy of the European Union for the Danube Region were discussed, in the context of the two countries' successively holding the Presidency of the EU Council but also of Romania holding the strategy's presidency November 2018 through November 2019.

"The Strategy of the European Union for the Danube Region is a successful initiative of Romania and Austria at European level, and we would like this form of regional collaboration to continue to develop in the upcoming period," Victor Negrescu stated.

Moreover, in the context of the talks at continental level regarding the revision of the coordination regulations on matters of social security, the Romanian official reiterated the importance for all member states to observe the non-discriminatory access to social security, in correlation with the fundamental freedom of circulation of the European citizens in the Community's space, the MAE release further specifies.