Europe must remain focused on Ukraine despite Iran situation, Romanian president says
Romanian president Nicuşor Dan stated on Thursday, March 19, that Europe must remain focused on Ukraine, despite the substantial rise in fuel costs caused by the war in Iran.
The president made press statements after the European Council meeting in Brussels, where the situation in the Middle East was discussed. One of the main topics of the meeting was the price of fuels, but also the possibility of migratory flows. Fuel costs rose throughout Europe after Israel and the US started their bombing campaign in Iran on February 28, killing Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.
“Part of the discussion was attended by the UN Secretary-General, and within this part, there was a debate about what multilateralism means today. We also discussed Ukraine, and the general conclusion was that Europe must remain focused on Ukraine, although we are affected by this crisis of the war in Iran, because the war in Ukraine is closely linked to Europe’s security,” said the head of state at a press conference.
At the same meeting, European leaders decided to make the topic of competitiveness a recurrent one on the agenda of future summits.
“The Commission has committed to coming up with ten so-called Omnibus packages, legislative packages that simplify the legislation applicable to companies in different sectors. Of these 10 Omnibus packages, three have passed both the Council and Parliament, so they are in force, two are currently under negotiation between Parliament and the Council, and the other five are in the Council’s negotiation,” the head of state said.
One of these regulations will simplify way in which European companies operate in all 27 member states. Called “EU Inc,” the initiative makes it so Europeans will be able to register a company in under 48 hours and with only EUR 100, eliminating the fragmented laws governing social capital requirements across member states.
President Nicuşor Dan also mentioned that a paragraph regarding the assistance that the European Commission provides to the Republic of Moldova following the contamination of the Dniester River was added to the conclusions of the summit at Romania’s proposal.
Romania’s smaller neighbor witnessed massive levels of pollution on the Dniester River following Russian strikes on the Novodnestrovsk Hydropower Complex on March 10. The river is Moldova's primary source of freshwater.
(Photo source: presidency.ro)
