PM Dancila calls on President Iohannis to refrain from statements "that do harm to Romania"

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila on Tuesday called on all the country's political forces and President Klaus Iohannis to refrain from statements that "do harm to Romania," mentioning to the point the statement by Iohannis that Romania is not ready to take over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union. 

"As prime minister of Romania, I can assure you that Romania is ready, that we are on schedule with the schedule for the presidency of the Council of the European Union, and also with organisation and logistics. I believe that such statements can only do harm to Romania. I think that is unprecedented in a member state of the European Union and I am calling on all political forces, including the President of Romania, Mr Iohannis, to refrain from such statements, because Romania needs consensus, Romania needs unity and good Romanians to think first and foremost about their own country and less about their vested interests," Dancila said at the end of a meeting of the National Standing Bureau of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), main at rule. 

Asked for her take on the fact that the auction for the accommodation and transport of European officials, who will come to Romania in the first half of next year, was not finalised, Dancila said: "It is close to completion. I do not see why we must necessarily worry about accommodations, as you know very well we have a great number of events across the country, over 200 events, plus the events in Bucharest. I can assure you that we have these things (...) There are very few things still to do in respect to the materials, it has taken longer because we had to follow all the legal procedures. It is nobody's fault that the issue with the materials has not been solved; it was because we had to follow all the legal procedures, but we are on schedule." 

On Monday, President Klaus Iohannis said Romania is not ready to take over the presidency of the Council of the European Union. 

Iohannis said that "the government no longer knows who is in charge with the different sectors; the people who have to deal with European matters are leaving or are dismissed, and this is how we find ourselves totally unprepared in the 11th hour. These things are very serious," said Iohannis.