Romania presents joint declaration on future EU budget priorities
Romania initiated a Joint Declaration on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 by the Friends of Cohesion group countries, including Bulgaria, Czechia, Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, and Hungary, a post by Romanian President Nicusor Dan on his official profile on X said on Tuesday, CE Report quotes BTA.
The document will be officially presented at Tuesday’s meeting of the Ministers for European Affairs and should be taken into account in the debates at the next European Council.
"Through this joint approach, we want the future budget to continue funding key policies for the European project: cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy. These strategic areas are already affected by proposals to reduce funding, even though the total proposed budget of the Union is increasing," Dan said.
He added that it is precisely these two policies that serve as the instruments through which the EU supports investments of direct importance to people: infrastructure, agriculture, community development, jobs, and the reduction of disparities among member states.
"We call for increased funding for these policies in the future budget. For Romania, European funds remain essential for modernization and development," Dan said.
He added that Europe must also respond to new challenges related to security, energy, and economic competitiveness.
"Therefore, we support an ambitious and balanced European budget that addresses both the new priorities and the policies that have proven successful and are essential for cohesion and prosperity," the Romanian head of state said.
He added that, with regard to competitiveness, resources must be based on the principle of high performance, but this must be implemented in a way that generates a real improvement in economic competitiveness across the entire European Union.
The Friends of Cohesion group seeks a balanced, modern EU budget that supports all Member States and regions while responding to evolving geopolitical and economic challenges.
The document, which will be presented at the meeting of the Ministers for European Affairs, outlines priorities for the EU’s 2028–2034 budget framework, arguing that the next Multiannual Financial Framework must provide enough funding to support both traditional EU policies and new strategic challenges. It stresses that key Treaty-based policies, especially Cohesion Policy, the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy, should not face real-term cuts, as they are essential for economic growth, regional convergence, and food security.
The text, published on the Romanian Foreign Ministry's website, calls for stronger investment in EU competitiveness, strategic autonomy, defence, climate and digital transition, and crisis resilience. It argues that Member States should retain control over how shared EU funds are programmed and implemented, while maintaining favourable funding conditions such as adequate pre-financing and co-financing rates.
In addition, the document supports reforms to EU financing, including new EU own resources, the removal of budget rebates, and more flexible repayment of Next Generation EU debt.
Photo: X
